Rudy Gobert joins a slew of players on the injury report for both the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves as he’s listed as questionable with a sore hamstring.
As incredible as sports are, there’s no denying that the injuries that so often impact them are a blemish on an otherwise wonderful thing. As great as it is to witness such wonderful athletes in action, it’s always discouraging to see them hampered by something so far out of their control.
The Utah Jazz are no strangers to this as they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of injuries in recent seasons. The 2018-19 campaign has been no exception as at one point they had no healthy point guards on their roster and are still dealing with several injuries with the likes of Dante Exum, Thabo Sefolosha, Raul Neto and Tony Bradley out of commission.
Those four are still on the mend and won’t be in action on Friday night when the Jazz host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, they may also be joined by another on that list. It was reported on Friday afternoon that Rudy Gobert is also now listed as questionable for the upcoming contest with a sore right hamstring.
Rudy Gobert has right hamstring soreness and is QUESTIONABLE to play tonight vs. Minnesota
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 25, 2019
Obviously, losing Gobert would be a major blow for the Jazz. He’s having an All-Star caliber season and would be vital in containing potential Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. His questionable status by no means counts him out entirely, and Derrick Favors should be more than able to step up and challenge KAT, but in any case there’s still no denying that a less than healthy Rudy is far from good news for the Jazz.
Whether or not Gobert is ultimately able to go, the ailing Jazz will still be short on depth as they have been in recent weeks with several other injuries. But they won’t be alone. They’ll also be facing a Wolves team that strongly resembles the walking wounded as well.
Derrick Rose, who has been playing quite well of late, and Jeff Teague are both listed as questionable. The former has a sore right ankle while the latter is suffering from left foot soreness. Meanwhile, Tyus Jones is dealing with a left ankle sprain and Robert Covington is suffering from a right knee bone bruise and thus both are officially out for the upcoming Jazz-Wolves bout.
Updated #Twolves injury report: Derrick Rose (Sore Right Ankle) and Jeff Teague (Left Foot Soreness) are both questionable. Tyus Jones (Left Ankle Sprain) and Robert Covington (Right Knee Bone Bruise) are OUT.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 25, 2019
That will leave the Timberwolves quite low on guard depth going into this contest. With all the injuries going around, it’s really anyone’s guess who will arise victorious, especially if the Jazz are without Rudy Gobert, the anchor of their defense. Ideally, though, considering how well Utah has played of late despite dealing with the injuries, the Salt Lake City squad will still be able to bond together, capitalize on Minnesota’s shorthanded roster and come away victorious.
With neither team at full strength and the Timberwolves playing quite well of late, this is bound to be a battle. However, it is the second night of a back-to-back for Minnesota who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers last night, and the Jazz should still have plenty of adequate weapons to deal with a T-Wolves team with notable shortcomings. As such, despite the less than favorable circumstances, I’m still pinning Utah to come out on top in the end.
My Prediction – Jazz 99, Timberwolves 93