Preview: Jazz looking to take liftoff in NBA Cup Game

Here we are again. We here at SLC Dunk can whisper to you sweet dreams that each game is an encouraging sign that the team is trending in the right direction, but the harsh reality is the Jazz are 1-11. Games are more about keeping your dignity and pride as an organisation, steering clear of the team’s worst start in franchise history (1-17), when you’re trying to win games. The musty odor the Jazz emit with each fourth-quarter meltdown escalates.

Hopes of a late-blooming win streak were swatted yet again on Wednesday, when the middling Orlando Magic forced a 21-5 run at the Delta Center without a single Jazz timeout. Will Hardy had the young fella’s play through their mistakes, which blew up right in their faces. This was a common culprit in how the Jazz lost games during their tanking years, but it simply cannot carry over in a supposed ‘winning’ season.

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The lucky opponent that gets to face the Jazz is the 9-3 Houston Rockets; both teams will play their second game of the inaugural NBA Cup, where Utah has already fallen 0-1 in their first match against the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets, on the other hand, are also 0-1. To claim one of the NBA Cup’s ‘wildcard’ spots, both teams will essentially need to be undefeated the rest of their games while also tallying up a high point differential to beat out the others.

Houston has followed the NBA’s trend of moving past dying minimalism, rebranding with a new uniform set featuring ketchup and mustard to honor the Hakeem Olajuwon era. Their on-court play has transformed them into a formidable Western Conference contender by focusing on a two-way balance. They post a top-five offensive rating (119.3) and allow 106.5 points a game (4th in the NBA). The Jazz will need to play better than perfect to avoid being locked in the doghouse. It can’t be too hard, right? After all, they won’t have to be hand-checked by former DPOY Marcus Smart; he’s suspended for throwing a mean right hook at the face of Charles Bassey.

Injury Report

It’s up to Utah to defend inside the arc

Wednesday night saw Franz Wagner be the man of the hour by scoring 12 of his career-high 38 points…

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Publish date : 2026-11-13 13:53:00

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