Randle, Knicks to host Markkanen and the Jazz
Utah Jazz (28-29, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. New York Knicks (30-27, seventh in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE: Knicks -5
BOTTOM LINE: Utah travels to New York for a non-conference matchup.
The Knicks have gone 14-15 at home. New York ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with 34.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Julius Randle averaging 8.6.
The Jazz are 10-17 in road games. Utah is fourth in the Western Conference with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Walker Kessler averaging 2.9.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Knicks won 118-111 in the last matchup on Nov. 16.
TOP PERFORMERS: Randle is averaging 24.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Knicks. Jalen Brunson is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for New York.
Lauri Markkanen is averaging 24.7 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Jazz. Jordan Clarkson is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Utah.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 5-5, averaging 113.1 points, 44.6 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 4.9 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.8 points per game.
Jazz: 5-5, averaging 117.4 points, 45.2 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 5.1 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.2 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Josh Hart: day to day (trade pending), Mitchell Robinson: out (thumb).
Jazz: Jordan Clarkson: day to day (illness), Juan Toscano-Anderson: day to day (trade pending), Damian Jones: day to day (trade pending), Russell Westbrook: day to day (trade pending).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.