Opening night is finally here for the Utah Jazz against the LA Clippers, who will be taking on their first of an 82-game regular season slate on Wednesday night to effectively end the long wait to get back to some NBA action.
And before the contest tips off, both sides have released their respective injury reports for who’s in and who’s out of the mix in Utah, where the Jazz have two notable absences of note.
Here’s the full injury landscape for the Jazz and Clippers:
G Isaiah Collier: OUT (right hamstring strain)
F Georges Niang: OUT (left foot, fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
G Ace Bailey: AVAILABLE (illness)
G Jordan Miller: OUT (left hamstring soreness )
The biggest name of note on either side’s IR: fifth-overall pick Ace Bailey, whose status for the opener was put into doubt due to a case of the flu, but now being elevated from questionable to available, he’ll officially have a shot to get on the floor for his NBA debut.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy said during practice before facing the Clippers that Bailey was trending towards being active to play.
“In this moment, it looks like he’s going to be ready to go,” Hardy said of Ace Bailey following Jazz practice. “We’ve got to meet after he finishes on the court and gets his treatment and all those things, and make the final call on what that looks like.”
While Bailey will be in, the Jazz will be without a key fixture in the backcourt: second-year guard Isaiah Collier, who’s out for the coming week due to a hamstring injury suffered before training camp. He’ll be re-evaluated next week, but for the first three games of this season, he’ll be on the sidelines.
Oct 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey (19) dunks the ball as Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
As a result, it puts a little more responsibility on the shoulders of third-year guard Keyonte George, as well as rookie Walt Clayton Jr.–– both expected to claim some solid minutes in the backcourt rotation.
Veteran forward Georges Niang will also miss out on opening night in Utah, who’s recovering from his offseason foot injury that’s kept him inactive for both training camp and all four Jazz preseason games, just like Collier.
On the Clippers’ side, though, no major absences of note. Jordan Miller is the only name listed on their injury report, but as for Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and familiar face John Collins, they’ll all be suited up for their first meeting of the season against the Jazz.
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