UPDATE: For the first time in his five-year career, Dwight Howard will miss a game. Howard will rest his sore left knee, says Brian Schmitz, and may miss Monday night's game against Golden State, too. Marcin Gortat will get his first career start in Howard's place.
| 2008/2009 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | @ |  |
| 17-6 | 15-9 | |
| December 13th, 2008 | ||
| EnergySolutions Arena | ||
| 9:00 PM | ||
| FSN Florida | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Jameer Nelson | PG | Deron Williams |
| Keith Bogans | SG | Morris Almond |
| Hedo Turkoglu | SF | C.J. Miles |
| Rashard Lewis | PF | Paul Millsap |
| Marcin Gortat | C | Mehmet Okur |
UPDATE: Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tributne reports Morris Almond will get his first career NBA start tonight for the Utah Jazz; usual starter Ronnie Brewer will miss the game to attend a family funeral. Thanks to UtesFan89, who runs this fine Jazz blog, for tipping me off in the comments.
The Orlando Magic will try to take out their frustration on the Utah Jazz tonight after losing a close game to the Phoenix Suns last night, 113-112. Former Magic guard Grant Hill, who left them during the 2007 free agency period, got free along the baseline for the game-winning layup with 2.7 seconds remaining. What's more, the Magic center Dwight Howard left the game in the third quarter with soreness in his left knee. So far, there is no indication as to whether or not he will be available.
The Jazz are also missing an All-Star and an Olympian, Carlos Boozer, who is sidelined indefinitely with a strained quadriceps. Star point guard Deron Williams has also missed time due to injury, although he has returned and is working his way back into a groove. Clearly, the Magic won't get any sympathy from the Jazz. However, the Magic might rather Boozer play in this game. His replacement in the starting lineup, Paul Millsap, single-handedly crushed the Magic in a game in Orlando last season. The second-round pick schooled Rashard Lewis in the low post and scored 16 straight Utah points. That game was one of the lowlights of last year's season.
Anyway, I look forward to the game tonight; Utah has stayed mostly afloat despite their rash of injuries, and might be a title contender by the time April rolls around. I hope Hedo Turkoglu shakes off the rust after last night's 4-of-18 disaster and takes it to his countryman, Mehmet Okur. I also hope Lewis is able to exact revenge on Millsap for the embarrassment he caused him last year.
Anyway, good luck finding this game on TV if you're in Orlando. FSN Florida has it. Check a sports bar, maybe? Or if you keep your eyes peeled, you may find a link to a live stream on the internet somewhere. Check out SLC Dunk, SB Nation's Jazz blog, for the view from the Beehive State. Go Magic! Revenge!