The Utah Jazz will be without their starting point-man for a fourth straight game. Ricky Rubio is officially out for Game 4 against the Houston Rockets.
After getting throttled in Game 3 of their second-round series with the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz could definitely use some good news right about now. Particularly on the injury front; starting point guard Ricky Rubio has yet to take the court for the Jazz in Round 2. To say his presence has been missed would be a massive understatement.
Unfortunately, doom and gloom prevail for Rubio. According to the latest injury report, Utah’s floor general has officially been ruled out as a participant for Game 4.
Today’s @UofUHealth report:
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 6, 2018
Ricky Rubio (left hamstring strain) is out.
Derrick Favors (left ankle sprain) is questionable.
Rubio suffered a hamstring strain during the Jazz’s close-out victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 27.
There was hope he would make his second-round debut on Sunday. The 27-year-old resumed running and took part in some shooting drills during Jazz practice on Saturday. As a result, his status had temporarily been upgraded to questionable and the team was optimistic his return was on the horizon.
Instead, Rubio will sit and Donovan Mitchell will have to play out of position yet again. In Rubio’s absence, Mitchell has manned the point to uneven results. Through three games against the Rockets, he’s averaging just 16 points per contest on 32 percent from the field and less than 23 percent from distance.
Clearly, the Jazz need better production from their star rookie if they hope to extend the series.
Dante Exum and Alec Burks will continue to get extended run off the bench sans Rubio.
Derrick Favors update
Elsewhere on the injury report, big man Derrick Favors continues to be listed as questionable for Game 4. Favors tweaked his ankle during Game 3 on Friday, after which he didn’t return for the second half.
Even if he is ultimately good to go, I would anticipate a reduction in minutes is in store for the eighth-year pro. The Rockets present massive match-up problems for Favors, particularly in tandem with Rudy Gobert. In their 30 shared minutes in this series, their team has been outscored by a whopping 47 points per 100 possessions.
Meanwhile, Jae Crowder has been one of the few bright spots for the Jazz against the Rockets. He’s averaged better than 14 points per game in Round 2 while boasting an effective field goal percentage of 63.8.
Next: Utah Jazz: Essential changes to even the score with Houston
Look for the Jazz to go Crowder early and often regardless of Favors’ status.