Jazz Will Role Out Skeleton Crew Against Suns
Jan 24, 2022, 6:06 PM
Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks pressures Jared Butler #13 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of their game October 13, 2021 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz might be largely unrecognizable tonight when they travel to face the Phoenix Suns.
Shortly before tip-off, the Jazz announced that Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, and Joe Ingles were joining Donovan Mitchell on the team’s injured list and wouldn’t play against Phoenix.
Mitchell is out due to a concussion suffered last Monday in the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tonight’s game against Phoenix will resemble the game against the Raptors with no traditional starters available.
No Conley, Mitchell, O’Neale, Bogdanovic or Gobert.
Additionally no Joe Ingles.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 25, 2022
Gobert will miss the game due to a left calf strain, Conley is out for management of a right knee injury, Ingles is out with a right ankle sprain, while O’Neale is out with right knee tendonitis.
Bogdanovic has a slightly more serious injury as he suffered a left finger avulsion fracture in the team’s loss to the Houston Rockets last Wednesday.
An avulsion fracture occurs when a ligament or tendon pulls off the bone, in which the ligament has been an issue for Bogdanovic. He will miss the Suns game but is expected to be available to play going forward as long as he continues to wear a splint to stabilize the finger.
The team expects Bogdanovic to be able to remove the splint in 4-6 weeks ahead of the NBA playoffs.
Bojan Bogdanovic has a left finger avulsion fracture. An avulsion fracture occurs when a ligament or tendon pulls a piece of the bone off. It should heal over the next 4-6 weeks while wearing a splint and he’ll be available to play while wearing a splint. #TakeNote
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 25, 2022
That leaves the Jazz without six of their top nine rotation players as they prepare to face the league-leading Suns on the front end of a home and home series with the reigning Western Conference champions.
Only Ruy Gay, Jordan Clarkson, and Hassan Whiteside who cleared the final stages of COVID protocol this morning are clear to face Phoenix of the team’s traditional rotation.
Trent Forrest, Jared Butler, Elijah Hughes, Udoka Azubuike, Eric Paschall, and Danuel House Jr. are also available for the Jazz, bringing the roster to nine players for the night.
The Jazz and Suns will tip-off at 7 pm MT and can be heard on The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and FuboTV.
