Preview: Utah Jazz dig for fossils with the Toronto Raptors in town
I do know, I do know, you’ve got been glued to school basketball for the previous 4 days — I get it. March Madness is presumably the biggest annual occasion in all of basketball. The buzzer-beaters, the upsets, and the limitless stream of pure hooping goodness are all intoxicating. I will not deny this. Nor will I plead with you to tear your eyes away from the pinnacle of faculty basketball.
But with the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament coming to shut, the Utah Jazz are right here to fulfill the vacuum left in the days resulting in the Sweet 16. With AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson having performed their last minutes of faculty hoops, a thirst for skilled basketball could dry out the again of your throat.
At house in the Delta Center, NBA basketball flows like water.
One have a look at the Utah Jazz’s harm report main as much as their March 23 assembly with the Toronto Raptors, and my jawbone loses all construction, dropping to the ground as the listing of injured Jazzmen spans for hundreds. Out for this matchup are Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George (hamstring twins!), Blake Hinson on two-way project to the G-League, and the apparent the rest of Jaren Jackson Jr, Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and Jusuf Nurkic.
So now the problem turns into uncovering who will play for the banged-up Jazz as the Raptors hope to defend their fifth-place place in the Eastern Conference on a visit to Salt Lake City. Utah, valiantly clinging to the second-worst report in the West, will probably be internet hosting a youth showcase on the ground of the Delta Center.
Keep an eye fixed on Utah’s rookie, Ace Bailey, who not too long ago posted a career-high 33-point efficiency and has violently caught flame amongst his fellow rookie classmates. The jumper is clicking. His protection is creative. The three-pointers are plentiful. Ace Bailey is not campaigning for rookie of the yr, however is it too late to think about a spot in the All-Rookie First Team? He’s hitting over 40% on very excessive quantity in the month of March.
With apologies to Andersson Garcia supporters, Utah opted to not provide the G-League star a second 10-day contract in favor of Kennedy Chandler, who likewise wears 0 with the Jazz, and loved a wonderful maiden look with the Jazz. 19 factors, 4 assists, and a steal is a superb stat line to catch the consideration of expertise evaluators at the entrance workplace stage and simple chair stage alike. But a really inefficient 33% discipline objective fee provides the former Tennessee Volunteer a transparent alternative for enchancment towards Toronto.
On the matter of the Raptors, the guests from the North are much-improved from a season in the past. After ending 30-52 in 2024-25, Toronto is 39-30. Despite sturdy seasons from Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett (no relation), Scotty Barnes, and Immanuel Quickly, Toronto represents the “best of the rest” designation beneath the Finals contenders of Detroit, Boston, New York, and Cleveland.
These prehistoric beasts meant to gather their fortieth win with out a lot dialogue on Monday, which might push their report 10 video games above .500, and draw one step nearer to clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. A fantastic turnaround for a staff that whiffed on the Play-In only a yr earlier.
Toronto, largely wholesome, enters the Delta Center towards the children of Utah, largely unhealthy. The Jazz are 2.5 video games above Sacramento in the tank race dumpster dive.
How to observe Utah Jazz vs Toronto Raptors:
Date: Monday, March 23, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM MT
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: TOR -12.5
Calvin Barrett is a author, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer positioned in Tokyo, Japan. He has coated the NBA and College Sports since 2024.
