Markkanen, Conley Out For Jazz, Warriors Without Curry, Green
Dec 7, 2022, 1:13 PM | Updated: 5:10 pm
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) takes a breath during a game (Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will be without Lauri Markkanen and Mike Conley when they host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.
The Warriors will be shorthanded when they suit up to face the Jazz as Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins have all been ruled out.
The Jazz do expect to welcome Rudy Gay back to the roster after missing the team’s last 11 games.
Markkanen, Conley Out
Markkanen was added to the Jazz injury report late Wednesday due to an illness. The team did not offer an update on when the Finnish forward is expected to return to the lineup.
The Jazz star is averaging 22.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
Conley was also scratched from the lineup despite returning to practice for the Jazz amid a rare three-day break after falling to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
The guard suffered a popliteus strain in his left knee in the Jazz win over Portland on November 19 but was listed as questionable by the team ahead of Wednesday night’s game.
“Each day is getting better, today was the first time practicing with contact and stuff,” Conley said Monday after practice. “The last week or so it’s been kind of transitioning from walking, to jogging, to running.”
Injury report:
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (illness)
OUT – Mike Conley (popliteus strain left leg)
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 7, 2022
Throughout Conley’s absence, the Jazz have struggled to close games, suffering losses in five contests that were decided by nine points or fewer.
The Jazz were 0-5 immediately following Conley’s injury but had won two straight games before Saturday’s loss.
Conley was averaging 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 29.2 minutes per game for the Jazz before the injury.
Gay, meanwhile, was absent from the Jazz injury report after missing the team’s last 11 games with a sprained finger.
The veteran forward had been a regular off the bench this season averaging 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest but leads the Jazz in plus-minus at +5.7.
Related: Conley Returns To Jazz Practice
Warriors Without Curry, Green, and Wiggins
The Warriors have struggled mightily on the road this season and will face a tough task in Utah without three starters in the lineup.
Curry (ankle), Green (hip tightness), and Wiggins (right adductor strain) will all sit out against the Jazz as the Warriors begin a stretch of eight games being played in eight different cities.
RELATED STORIES
The Warriors will travel home after facing the Jazz for one game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, but heading out on a six-game East Coast road trip that concludes just before the Christmas holiday.
It’s a pivotal stretch for the Warriors who are just 2-10 on the road this season and sit a half-game behind the Jazz for the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
Utah Jazz vs. Golden State Warriors Broadcast
The Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors will tip off at 7 pm MT in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.
