Two nights after hitting eight 3-pointers in Dallas, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is back on the injury report. The Jazz list him as questionable with a right wrist sprain for Sunday’s road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Markkanen’s status puts Utah’s best recent source of outside shooting in doubt as the Jazz try to end a seven-game losing streak. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (5 p.m. MT), according to the NBA injury report.
The Jazz also have a question in the backcourt. Point guard Keyonte George was added to the report as questionable with an illness, according to RotoWire. George had nine assists Friday, when Markkanen accounted for more than half of Utah’s 15 made 3s.
Lauri Markkanen’s Wrist Injury Resurfaces After Eight 3s in Dallas
Markkanen first sprained the wrist when he left the Oct. 26 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. After Wednesday’s overtime loss to New Orleans, Jazz coach Will Hardy said he believed Markkanen was playing through considerable pain, according to the Salt Lake Tribune’s Shreyas Laddha.
Markkanen still played 34 minutes in Friday’s 112-100 loss to the Mavericks, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. Every one of his made shots came from beyond the arc, where he went 8-for-15, per the official box score. That brought him to 17 made 3s over his last three games, according to the Jazz’s game preview.
The Dallas line shows what Utah would have to replace Sunday. Markkanen can get 15 shots up from deep while playing power forward, which lets Hardy keep a conventional center on the floor and still stretch the defense. Utah already has fewer frontcourt combinations available with Jaren Jackson Jr. out with a torn right MCL and Jusuf Nurkić sidelined by a right foot injury.
Darryn Peterson Could Take on More Against Minnesota
Darryn Peterson gives the Jazz a place to turn if either starter sits. The rookie scored 21 points with five assists Friday, making three 3s and scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter. If George misses the game, Peterson is a candidate to spend more possessions initiating the offense. If Markkanen sits, Utah will need more scoring from Peterson and fellow starter Ace Bailey, who finished with 12 points in Dallas.
Minnesota has its own absences on the perimeter. Anthony Edwards is out following right knee arthroscopy, and Donte DiVincenzo is out following surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon. For the Jazz, the lineup question is whether Hardy will have the guard who handed out nine assists Friday and the forward who supplied eight 3s when the road trip ends in Minneapolis.
Utah Jazz Announce Lauri Markkanen Injury Status Before Timberwolves Game