Utah Jazz: Toronto’s Kyle Lowry OUT for New Year’s Day showdown

The Utah Jazz will catch a bit of a break on New Year’s Day as Toronto’s Kyle Lowry will be out of action for the contest.

As is all too common for the Utah Jazz, the team was bit by the injury bug leading up to their most recent bout against the New York Knicks. Ricky Rubio missed the contest with left lower back and left knee contusions (thanks Joel Embiid!) and Jae Crowder sat out with a left thumb contusion. Dante Exum suited up (and had a great game, I might add), but he was also ailing from right shoulder soreness.

When all was said and done, it didn’t end up mattering too much, though, because Utah walked away with an easy 129-97 victory against the hapless Knicks team. However, the Jazz will need to hope they can be much healthier for their upcoming New Year’s Day contest, as they’ll be going up against a much more daunting foe – the Toronto Raptors.

Last season, Rubio hit a dagger three to give Utah a big-time win over the Raptors, and Crowder’s extraordinary play off the bench would be critical to help the Jazz gain an edge over Toronto, so ideally both will be in action.

The good news is that their statuses are both listed as probable for Tuesday so it’s likely that they’ll play. However, the Raptors won’t be so lucky as it turns out that Toronto’s All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry will not be suiting up for the bout.

Lowry has been dealing with both a quad and lower back injury which will keep him sidelined for the upcoming bout against the Jazz. His injuries have caused him to miss three straight games and seven of Toronto’s last eight. With that being the case, it’s no wonder the Raptors have slid a bit of late, going just 6-4 in their last 10 and falling out of first place in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks.

Although Lowry is averaging just 14.4 points this season, his lowest output since the 2012-13 season, he’s still a vital part of this Raptors team as a constant playmaking threat and the one who orchestrates the offense. Backup point guard Fred VanVleet is a solid player in his own right and has been respectable in Lowry’s absence, but he simply can’t bring to the table all that Lowry is capable of.

Therefore, with Kyle out of commission in this contest against Utah, the Jazz may very well have a nice edge at the point guard spot, whether Rubio is able to go or if Dante Exum starts again and continues his recent tear. Toronto will also be without starter Jonas Valanciunas, who is still recovering from thumb surgery and has missed the last eight games.

This might sound pretty reassuring for Utah, but unfortunately the Raptors were shorthanded last time they faced the Jazz – that time with Kawhi Leonard down for the count – but the Jazz were still unable to take advantage of a banged-up and weary team playing on the second night of a back-to-back as they fell 124-111.

Leonard has dealt with his share of bumps and bruises as he continues to return to form after last season’s peculiar injury woes, but all indications thus far are that he will play against the Jazz. At 26.7 points per game, Kawhi has been nothing short of spectacular for his Raptors squad this season. Even if Rubio and Crowder are indeed able to go and despite Lowry’s absence, the Jazz are going to have their work cut out for them against Leonard and the Raptors on the road and will be hard-pressed to eke out a victory.

Ideally, Utah will be able to take advantage of the banged-up Raptors sans Lowry and Valanciunas, but they don’t hold the second best record in the league for nothing. They’re a well-rounded and deep squad, so you can bet that reserve players will rise to the challenge and give the Jazz all the fight they can take.

The Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors tip-off on New Year’s Day at 5:30 PM MT.