The Utah Jazz face a return engagement against a Northwest Division foe in the Minnesota Timberwolves .
When Rudy Gobert went down with an injury during a loss to the Miami Heat on Friday night, Utah Jazz fans feared the worst. When he came back to finish the game however, it seemed as though the injury may not be as serious, and perhaps he would only miss a game or two.
If only Utah had that kind of luck with injuries. As has been the case in years past, the injury bug has struck again, and Rudy Gobert is now expected to miss four to six weeks with a bone bruise to his right knee.
Sources: Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee. Gobert suffered the injury Friday against Miami.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2017
That being said, the Jazz were able to pull off an impressive victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, led by a balanced attack of scoring. In the absence of Gobert, Derrick Favors finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while wings Donovan Mitchell, Rodney Hood, and Joe Ingles combined for 62 points.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves early in the season, Gobert had a terrific game, finishing with 10 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. The Jazz would ultimately lose that game due to a costly turnover by Gobert in the final minute, which led to a corner three by Jamal Crawford.
To start the year, Minnesota struggled to find continuity with their new group of players. Newcomers Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague were still working to mesh with Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns, and their offense looked disjointed.
After starting the season with a 2-3 record, they then went on to win five in a row. Since that time, they’ve dropped back-to-back games; their record now sits at 7-5.
Utah will look to bring their record to back to .500, meanwhile, but in the absence of Gobert, they’ll need multiple players to step up, and will have to succeed in a few key areas.