The Utah Jazz's comeback came up just short in a 110-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Monday evening at the Delta Center.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
The injury bug has bitten the Jazz early, and it bit hard.
Prior to the season, projected starting center Jusuf Nurkić went down with a foot injury. Then, Jaxson Hayes was ruled out just an hour before tipoff due to a shoulder injury he sustained against the Lakers on Sunday.
Things went from bad to worse as Lauri Markkenen exited Monday's game due to a wrist injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. followed in the second quarter due to a right knee injury.
Jazz coach Will Hardy said they're waiting on imaging to know specifics of the injuries and will likely know more Tuesday.
In their absence, Ace Bailey and Keyonte George led the Jazz with 26 and 17 points, respectively. Bailey had his second straight double-double with 10 rebounds. He also contributed three assists and three blocks.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Cedric Coward (23) guards Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (8) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) loses control of the ball as he moves around Memphis Grizzlies guard/forward Ty Jerome (2) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Mo Bamba (44) shoots over Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Isaiah Stewart (28) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (8) moves around Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Mo Bamba (44) shoots in front of Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Isaiah Stewart (28) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) dribbles during an NBA game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. (20) and Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) guard Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Josh Green (5) and Utah Jazz center Mo Bamba (44) react as the Utah Jazz trail the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward/center Lauri Markkanen (23) guards Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson (45) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey (19) and Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Isaiah Stewart (28) reach for the rebound during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Kyle Filipowski (2) shoots over Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Isaiah Stewart (28) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson (22) moves around Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Isaiah Stewart (28) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (8) moves around Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey (19) passes the ball between Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer (27) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy yells as the Utah Jazz play the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
It wasn't a particularly pretty game from Utah. Memphis got out to a 16-point lead and the Jazz had to crawl back. To their credit, they did.
Bailey assisted Mo Bamba with just a minute left, which cut the lead to just one point. However, Darryn Peterson missed a shot with 20 seconds remaining — a shot that would have kept the Jazz's hopes alive.
Peterson finally had a solid shooting game from beyond the arc, but not so much in his midrange shots. He finished 3-of-5 on 3-pointers, but just 5-of-18 overall. Peterson's final stat line was 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
"We want Darryn to continue to play his game, and scoring sometimes comes in waves," Hardy said. "Darryn probably felt like he's cold right now and there's plenty of hot nights ahead.
"... We want him to shoot. We believe in his ability to put the ball in the basket. He's shown that at every level."
With the Jazz' two best players out for the game, Hardy had some big rotational decisions to make.
At first he went to the usual bench players in Isaiah Collier, Svi Mykhailiuk and Brice Sensabaugh. However, in the second half Hardy found some juice with Bamba, Josh Green and Josh Okogie.
Green had a nice few minutes in the fourth quarter against the Lakers on Sunday, and he continued to be a strong defensive piece on Monday. He might not have filled up the stat sheet, but he gave the Jazz a much-needed defensive edge with a team-high +14.
Bamba was probably the Jazz's MVP with how drastically he impacted the game. Utah desperately needed shot-blocking and a lob threat, and he provided that.
He finished with 14 points on just eight shots, seven rebounds and four blocks. But what doesn't show up is how he deterred shots at the rim, resulting in just two points in the paint in the fourth quarter.
"I thought Mo was terrific," said Hardy. "His rim protection was great ... His presence at the rim, I thought, was terrific for us tonight. And then offensively, drop-offs and lobs. He was a great screener early in the clock. I thought he handled himself great."
This year's Jazz roster is thin at center, even when fully healthy. That center depth is now bone-dry with Nurkić, Hayes and Jackson out. With Markkanen injured, the team may be in for a lengthy rough stretch.
With adversity comes a chance — one that the Jazz will look to the young core of George, Bailey and Peterson to grasp. Utah will desperately miss the scoring of Jackson and Markkanen, and especially the defense of Jackson.
Fans got a glimpse of what that core can look like in the fourth quarter, as all three helped mount a comeback that almost got the Jazz the win.
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) dribbles during an NBA game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
