The Utah Jazz are back in Salt Lake City after a winless road trip, and the injury report is giving them a mixed bag heading into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Miami Heat.
The biggest immediate blow is Keyonte George, who has been ruled out with a right ankle sprain after going down in Utah’s previous game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. George has been a central piece for the Jazz all season, handling the starting point guard job and carrying a heavy share of the offense while the roster has been short-handed through the first 10 games.
In 0 games this season, George is averaging 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists while shooting 44.9% from the field.
With George unavailable, Utah will likely have to adjust its backcourt again. Darryn Peterson could be used as the starting point guard, or the Jazz may keep him at the two and let Isaiah Collier run the offense.
The Jazz will also remain without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic. Jackson Jr. is still working back from a right knee MCL tear and is expected to stay out closer to December, while Nurkic continues to recover from a right foot second plantar plate tear and still has a little under two weeks before his re-evaluation.
There is at least a glimmer of hope on the availability front for Lauri Markkanen. He has been upgraded to questionable with a right wrist sprain, a step up from where he was before the Minnesota game.
That said, there’s no guarantee he’ll suit up. He was questionable then too and still ended up missing the contest.
If Markkanen can’t go, Josh Green would be a candidate to slide into the starting lineup.
Miami, by comparison, comes in looking much healthier. The Heat have only one player listed on the report, and that’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is probable with a right wrist sprain.
The game is set for 7 p.m. MT in Salt Lake City, with Utah trying to snap its nine-game losing streak.
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The encouraging part came at a later shootaround, where George was moving well and no longer in a boot, a small but meaningful sign for a team hoping his absence is short-lived. While he works back, Darryn Peterson and Isaiah Collier are expected to pick up more minutes, giving Utah a temporary answer while it waits to see how quickly George can return to the rotation. [Read more 🡒]