Is Jusuf Nurkic the most dangerous man in the NBA? I\u2019m mostly joking, of course, because despite the fact that he\u2019s on an unprecedented run of three consecutive triple-doubles (which was on nobody\u2019s bingo card at the beginning of the season, don\u2019t even pretend), it took a herculean performance from Keyonte George to claim the only Jazz win in that stretch, a five-point victory against Minnesota.<\/p>\n
In the fourth game of this home stretch, Utah is still stumbling from back-to-back losses of 17 and 31 points.<\/p>\n
So no, the NBA isn\u2019t exactly cowering in fear at the Jokic-fication of Bosnia\u2019s finest. Certainly not the red-hot Clippers, who have won so many games that they\u2019re forcing non-believers to eat sheets of paper<\/a>. Basketball is the weirdest sport ever, man.<\/p>\n So, what does this midseason matchup between two Western Conference foes have in store? Well, the host Jazz, now 15-31 and 3-7 in their last 10, have seemingly locked in their fate before the game has even tipped off. Just take a look at the injury report<\/a>, which lists Keyonte George as out (rest) and Markkanen, Nurkic, and Love all as game-time decisions.<\/p>\n Especially against a team as hot as Los Angeles. The Clips desperately needed to climb out of the Tankathon race, given the fact that they do not own their own draft pick thanks to the increasingly awful SGA-Paul George deal. In case this point hasn\u2019t been driven home to the Jazz\u2019s deal with OKC, there is no reason to lose basketball games when you\u2019re not fighting for ping pong balls.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to block Sam Presti\u2019s number. Do not answer his calls, no matter how good the deal sounds.<\/p>\n Now at 21-24, they\u2019ve crept up to the final Play-In spot in the Western Conference, and will not be in the habit of dropping shocking games to teams like Utah, which (truth be told) is not interested in stealing one from a winning team in the final half of the season.<\/p>\n The future is\u2026 kinda bleak for the Clippers at the moment, and that\u2019s saying something for one of the most depressing teams in the history of basketball. Constantly in the shadow of their older, golder brothers down the road, the Clips took a chance on the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and sent their submission to the NBA Finals. But that submission was\u2026 how do we put this? Lost in the mail, caught in the shuffle, passed up for more promising prospects, set ablaze in a fiery rage, take your pick.<\/p>\n Be it fate, karma, the glass skeletons of their cornerstone pieces, or some other act of the basketball gods, this era of the Los Angeles Clippers has been one of the most disappointing and cursed in the history of the game. Now with James Harden as their lead and Kawhi Leonard lounging on his recliner on the sidelines, what is this team capable of accomplishing as currently constructed?<\/p>\n There is no way out. Their stars are already past their primes, declining, and carrying nearly zero trade value. They have no option but to build through the draft. Their roster is expensive yet ineffective, and ownership is so all-in on making this team competitive at any cost. But they hit their ceiling a long time ago. They\u2019re one of the awkward teams stuck in basketball purgatory.<\/p>\n As much as tanking can hurt a fanbase, it feels far preferable for a team to lose by choice rather than because they have no other choice. The Clippers are forced to cross their fingers and hope their team \u2014 as currently constructed \u2014 manages to break through behind a core of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Brutal.<\/p>\n So, when these two teams square off on Tuesday night, it\u2019s important to understand the greater context of their competition. While Los Angeles is expected to win this game, their trajectory is one of decline, but Utah is just getting started.<\/p>\n How to watch Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers:<\/p>\n Date: Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026 Calvin Barrett<\/a> is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA<\/a> and College Sports<\/a> since 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is Jusuf Nurkic the most dangerous man in the NBA? 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Time: 8:00 PM MT
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: LAC -10.5<\/p>\n