Tuesday's (PHT) showdown between the Jazz and Suns will be missing several key figures on the Utah side of things.
Jazz center and reigning Kia Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert will not play against Phoenix because of a left calf strain. In addition, starting guards Mike Conley (rest) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol) will be out as will starting forward Bojan Bogadnovic (left finger strain).
The other regular starter for Utah — Royce O’Neale — is listed as questionable with right knee tendonitis while reserve Joe Ingles (right ankle sprain) will also miss the game against the Suns.
Gobert exited Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors with a calf injury with 2 1/2 minutes left in that game. That limited the Jazz’s options at the close, and Golden State escaped with a 94-92 victory once Bojan Bogdanovic’s step-back 3 rimmed out as time expired.Gobert, who recently exited the league’s Health and Safety Protocols, was questionable with left ankle soreness heading into the game. He later described the injury as feeling “like a slow tear.” The three-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 16.1 points, 15.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks through 41 games.
Conley is averaging 14.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.2 apg and 1.1 spg and has appeared in 42 of 47 games so far for the Jazz. Mitchell has not played since a Jan. 17 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and leads the team with 25.5 ppg. Bogdanovic is enjoying a bounce-back year as a scorer (18.1 ppg) and had appeared in 46 games until being sidelined vs. Phoenix.
The Jazz are 30-17 but have lost seven of their last nine games, including two of their last three on the road. The Suns (36-9) boast the NBA’s best record and are seven games ahead of Utah for the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference.
