Memphis @ Utah preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 29, 2019 ) Utah 103, Memphis 94

The Utah Jazz are searching for answers after dropping three in a row and five of six, with several by lopsided scores. The Jazz will try to bounce back from their latest setback - a 121-96 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday - when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

The Jazz, whose lone win in the last six games was a 103-94 triumph at Memphis on Nov. 29, are struggling against teams at the top of the standings with losses to the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers coming during a five-game road trip prior to Wednesday's setback. "I think at the beginning of the year there was a determination and a focus defensively, and it showed," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "More recently, we've allowed other things - a missed shot, the perception of a bad call, a turnover - to linger. Our inability to get to the next play has hurt our defense." The defense was strong enough in last week's win over the Grizzlies, who shot 39.4 percent from the field in that contest and are losers of eight of nine overall. Memphis began its four-game trip with a 106-99 loss at Chicago on Wednesday - the third time in the last eight games the team failed to score in triple digits.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (6-15): Center Jonas Valanciunas collected 22 points and 17 rebounds in the loss to Utah last week and sat out the next two games with an illness before returning with a season-high 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting and 13 boards on Wednesday. "He's playing with that aggressive mentality," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters. "That's the Jonas that we're used to, so, doesn't surprise me. Obviously, played more than we had intended tonight, since he had been off for a few days, but we got max effort from him and we needed every minute, every point and every rebound that we could." The double-double marked the fourth straight and 12th of the season for Valanciunas.

ABOUT THE JAZZ (12-10): Guard Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points in Wednesday's loss but was blunt in his assessment of what the team is doing wrong. "Our precision," Mitchell told reporters. "We turned the ball over. You know, simple mistakes. Stuff that we can control. You look at what we did at the beginning of the year - how we took care of and shared the ball - and you look at the past six games, it's not who we are." Utah had as many turnovers (20) as assists against the Lakers - its second straight game with 20 miscues.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Grizzlies SF Kyle Anderson (heel) missed Wednesday's game and is day-to-day.

2. Utah PG Mike Conley (hamstring) is a game-time decision to play against his former team after sitting out Wednesday.

3. The teams split the first two meetings this season, with Memphis earning a 107-106 home win on Nov. 15.

PREDICTION: Jazz 108, Grizzlies 96