San Antonio has been going the other way. As of Saturday the Spurs had won 3 straight after an 0-2 start, beating Dallas by 16, Sacramento by 27, and the Jazz by 6 in Utah. Wembanyama is averaging 25.0 points and 11.4 rebounds this season and 29.3 points during the streak. The Spurs host Minnesota on Saturday before this one, though, so the streak and the 3-2 record could both look different by Monday. That game also comes with a 1-day turnaround.
The first meeting is the best guide here, and it doesn't really match the records. Utah lost that game by 6 at home, and Jackson wasn't hurt yet. Now the Jazz have to deal with Wembanyama in the paint with a thinner frontcourt than the one that kept it to 6 points. The Spurs have injury questions too. Tobias Harris has missed time with a calf problem, Jayden Quaintance still hasn't been cleared for basketball activities, and Stephon Castle was questionable for the Minnesota game with a migraine. Castle's status for Monday is still open.
Tipoff is 7:30 PM CT. The questions are simple. Does Markkanen play at full strength, and can anyone left on Utah's roster keep Wembanyama off the glass for 48 minutes? Whatever happens against the Timberwolves on Saturday will tell you how fresh San Antonio is coming in. For Utah, this is a road game against a better team with half its frontcourt in street clothes, coming off a 22-point home loss.
