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Utah Jazz injury update: Derrick Favors out against Washington

By Jared Woodcox

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 7: Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz makes his entrance before the game against the Miami Heat on January 7, 2017 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Oscar Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 7: Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz makes his entrance before the game against the Miami Heat on January 7, 2017 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Oscar Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Utah Jazz big man Derrick Favors will be out of commission with a sprained right ankle for tonight’s contest against the Washington Wizards.

Injury woes have become pretty commonplace for the Utah Jazz, and as if missing Rudy Gobert, Dante Exum and Raul Neto while being in the midst of losing 13 of the last 16 games wasn’t bad enough, it turns out that there’s further bad news. It was announced shortly before the contest between the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards that Derrick Favors is out for the game with a right ankle sprain.

This is bad news for the Jazz considering that without Rudy Gobert, they were already short on rim protection as it was. Guys like Ekpe Udoh, Jonas Jerebko and perhaps even Tony Bradley if he gets a surprise nod, will have to step up dramatically if Utah is to have any shot of winning.

The Jazz absolutely dominated the Washington Wizards when they came to Salt Lake in early December, but with no Favors and considering how poorly Utah has played on the road, that same outcome is looking less than favorable.

Favors has been mentioned in a number of trade rumors lately, specifically in relation to the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Mirotic who is most definitely on the trade block. Therefore, some fans presumed that his sitting out could be tied to such a deal being on the cusp of going through.

However, that’s probably not the case. Derrick Favors pretty obviously tweaked his ankle in the game against the Miami Heat, so it stands to reason that he would need some time to recover. Not only that, but Mirotic can’t be traded until January 15th and there’s been recent information that seems to indicate that such a deal might not be as likely as it was once considered anyway.

If that’s the case, then the Jazz would obviously want to showcase a healthy Derrick Favors for other trade options, not hide him on the bench behind a tweaked ankle.

Time will tell if Favors is indeed traded and if Mirotic’s future truly lies with the Jazz, but for now this recent news is probably just exactly what it seems – Favors hurt his ankle in Miami and therefore will not play against the Wizards.

Next: Utah Jazz-Washington Wizards matchup: Can Mitchell contain Beal again?

And focusing on the here and now, that’s bad news for a Jazz team that’s currently eight games below .500 and winless in 2018.

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