Rudy Gobert Returning To Jazz Starting Lineup Against Pacers
Nov 27, 2019, 4:52 PM | Updated: 5:01 pm
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz shoots the ball against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 19, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Utah Jazz announced that center Rudy Gobert is back in the team’s starting lineup after missing two games due to injury.
Gobert will be on the court when the Jazz tip-off against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, November 27.
The Jazz center miss the franchise’s previous two games with a left ankle sprain.
Gobert suffered the injury in Utah’s 113-109 home victory over the Golden State Warriors on November 22. The Jazzman tested the ankle during pregame warmups before Utah faced the New Orleans Pelicans on November 23. He wasn’t able to go against the Pels. The Jazz were able to win 128-120 without the two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Utah then went on the road to take on MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Without the big man to anchor the Jazz defense, Antetokounmpo feasted. The 2018-19 NBA Most Valuable Player scored 50 points on 17-31 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Bucks’ 122-118 victory.
In 15 games this season, Gobert has recorded averages of 13.3 points, 14.1 rebounds (third in the NBA), 1.1 assists, 2.1 blocks (sixth in the NBA), and 1.0 steals. He is shooting 66.1 percent on field goals and 64.4 percent on free throws.
Big guy is back 😏#ZionsBank | #StartingLineup pic.twitter.com/Awcfi2GlRY
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 27, 2019
Jazz vs. Pacers
The Jazz will start Gobert alongside Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale against the Pacers.
This will be the first meeting between the Jazz and Pacers this season. The Pacers are still without star guard Victor Oladipo who is recovering from an injury that he suffered last season.
Indiana is led by Malcolm Brogdan who is averaging 18.8 points per contest. Brogdan was with the Bucks last season and entered the offseason as a restricted free agent. Milwaukee chose not to match the offer sheet that Brogdan signed with Indiana this summer which allowed Brogdan to join the Pacers.
This will be Bojan Bogdanovic’s first game back in Indiana after he signed with the Jazz as a free agent this offseason. Bogey spent two seasons with the Pacers and was their leading scorer after Oladipo went out with his injury last season.
The Jazz enter the matchup with the Pacers with an 11-6 record. Indiana sits at 10-6 on the season.
