The Jazz received some good news on Saturday: Lauri Markkanen was upgraded from questionable to available for today’s matinee contest vs. Portland, per the team (Twitter link).

Markkanen sprained his right wrist in the first quarter of Monday’s loss to Memphis and was unable to return. The Finnish forward was also sidelined for Wednesday’s overtime loss to San Antonio.

Injuries have been an issue for Utah this fall. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic remains out with a toe injury, and big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after tearing the MCL in his right knee.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• Jazz guard Darryn Peterson, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, admits he’s been too “indecisive” in his first five NBA games, writes Shreyas Laddha of The Salt Lake Tribune. While Utah isn’t worried about Peterson’s slow start — the 19-year-old is shooting just 34.9% from the field in the early going — the team does want him to be more aggressive, Laddha notes. “He is a team player and wants to win,” head coach Will Hardy said. “He is just caught a little in between. I see him coming off some ball screens, and he’s looking for his teammates, and in those moments he is the one that’s open. This is all very normal. … He’s getting thrown right into the fire and I think he’s handling himself great. I don’t want him to over worry about past possessions. We’ve had a few moments where he looks over, and he’s like, ‘My bad.’ We don’t need to do that right now. … I recognize he’s dealing with a lot. It’s a lot happening. It’s a new team, new coach, new terminology and play calls. On top of the fact that he’s a rookie in the NBA.“
• Oregon senator Ron Wyden has spoken to Heat owner and new Board of Governors chairman Micky Arison about keeping the Trail Blazers in Portland, he told Bill Oram of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Wyden previously told Oram he planned to call other owners to push Blazers owner Tom Dundon toward a deal to renovate the Moda Center and keep the team in Portland.
• Nuggets wing Christian Braun set new career highs in points (31) and three-pointers made (seven) during Friday’s win against Phoenix, according to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Braun, who’s looking to bounce back in 2026/27 after an ankle injury caused him to miss extended time last season, also limited Devin Booker to 20 points on 19 field goal attempts on the defensive end. “Me hitting seven (threes) is a welcome sight for the offense,” said Braun, who was 5-of-21 from long distance entering the game. “I’ve got to do it more consistently. I’ve got to do it more, do it better. Obviously, today was a good day, but we’ve got to do it again on Monday.”