Lauri Markkanen Injured, Leaves Game With Left Knee Contusion
Nov 26, 2024, 9:44 PM
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy speaks to Lauri Markkanen #23 during the second half of an NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Phoenix Suns at Delta Center (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY- The Jazz and the Spurs were dead-locked for most of their matchup on Tuesday night, but Utah began losing steam late as San Antonio built a lead in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
To make things worse for the Jazz, star Forward Lauri Markkanen left the game late with a left knee contusion.
The injury appeared to be a result of a couple of unfortunate bumps in quick succession.
The first came after Keyone George made a layup. Both Lauri Markkanen and John Collins prepared to go up for a rebound and the two bumped knees and remained down on the floor for a few seconds before making their way to the bench for a timeout huddle. Despite some visible discomfort, both players returned to the floor.
The second came just a few seconds later as Markkanen was guarding Victor Wembanyama in the post, and as Wembanyama spun and made a move toward the basket, he inadvertently slammed his knee into Markkanen’s, the same left knee that had just been hit.
Looks like knee-to-knee with Wembanyama that led to the Lauri Markkanen injury. pic.twitter.com/ESpMq2jJEY
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 27, 2024
Lauri’s pain was clearly worse on the second incident and the Utah Jazz training staff had to help him on his way to the locker room. Shortly after, it was reported that Lauri Markkanen had a left knee contusion and would not return to the game.
The @utahjazz report that Lauri Markkanen has a knee contusion and will not return. #takenote | @kslsports
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 27, 2024
The Jazz will have less than 24 hours to heal and regroup before taking on the Denver tomorrow night, putting a question mark next to Markkanen’s availability for a matchup with yet another dominant center, the league’s reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
