Utah Jazz Blog – Page 29 – NBA Blog

Rudy Gobert suffers knee injury

The Utah Jazz enjoyed a big win in Game 1 of their first round playoff series in L.A. against the Clippers, but their star center suffered a knee injury just seconds into the game. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

The Utah Jazz’s first playoff game in five years couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.

It couldn’t have had a better finish — well, almost.

Despite playing all but 17 seconds without defensive terror Rudy Gobert, the Jazz took a 1-0 first-round series lead over the Los Angles Clippers with a shocking 97-95 win at Staples Center after veteran forward Joe Johnson dropped in a stunning game-winning floater at the buzzer…

Seconds into the organization’s first playoff game since 2012, Hayward made a pass that sailed way above Gobert’s head into the Staples Center crowd.

It wasn’t a bad pass. Normally, in fact, the pass would’ve been right on target.

Problem was, Gobert wasn’t standing up. The 7-foot-1 center was crawling on the court in agony, having just injured his left knee while setting a screen for Hayward.

State of Jazz in home stretch of season

As the playoff race intensifies, here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on the Jazz:

With a little over two weeks remaining in the regular season, Utah’s playoff positioning continues to be fluid. The Jazz have been mostly in the fourth spot since the All-Star break. But that reality — and the home-floor advantage that comes with it — is tenuous at best.

The Clippers have an easier remaining schedule than the Jazz, and Saturday’s win over Utah gives Los Angeles the tiebreaker, should the two teams finish with identical records.

But heading into Monday night’s home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Jazz are frankly less worried about playoff positioning, and more worried about simply getting back to playing good basketball.

“Everyone wants to talk about the playoffs, but honestly we just have to get back to who we are,” Utah shooting guard Rodney Hood said. “We have to get back to playing well regardless. If we can do that, we’ll be fine.”

Rudy Gobert fined by NBA

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been fined $25,000 for making physical contact with a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 5:19 remaining in the third quarter of the Jazz’s 109-95 win over the Bucks on Feb. 24 at BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Derrick Favors having quiet season so far

The 33-19 Jazz have the 4th best record in the Western conference. Things look good. But after averaging 16.0 points per game or more over the last two seasons, power forward Derrick Favors, coming off injury, has had a fairly quiet season, putting up 9.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. That court time could very well increase as he gets more comfortable, of course. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

Jazz coach Quin Snyder said he had a chat with Favors before Monday’s game, trying to keep his talented 25-year-old’s spirits up. On Saturday night, Favors seemed dejected, admitted he was frustrated and said he was just trying to get to the offseason healthy.

Two nights later, Favors was back to his old self after a 20-point, 10-rebound outing in a 120-95 thrashing of Atlanta.

“We talked a little bit about it before the game. It requires him to stay upbeat and stay positive and continue to do the things that he’s been successful doing,” Snyder said. “He’s done a great job preparing himself this year. It will come. It’s happening. Just sometimes things don’t happen as quickly as you want. He just can’t get discouraged and frustrated. Keep working and we’ll keep making sure he’s in a good place.”

Jazz schedule NBA Math Hoops Live event

The Utah Jazz will teach math to local students through basketball during an NBA Math Hoops Live event on Monday, Jan. 30 at the Zions Bank Basketball Center beginning at 4 p.m.

NBA Math Hoops is a fast-paced board game that teaches students fundamental math skills through basketball stats of their favorite Jazz and NBA players. A full-size, live version of the game will be played on the Jazz practice court with help from guards Shelvin Mack and Raul Neto.

The Jazz, with support from Larry H. Miller Charities, introduced this first-year program at the start of the season into 15 schools and non-profits in the Salt Lake Valley. More than 500 youth have been learning basic arithmetic, geometry, percentages and statistical analysis through an engaging curriculum.

The educational event on Monday will feature 40 students from Franklin Elementary and Bryant Middle School, who were selected to attend the event by showing exceptional dedication to the program, split up into two teams with Mack and Neto on each squad.

The court will be set up to mimic the board game, with numbers placed around the floor as shot locations. With two halves of play, students will be given fundamental math problems to complete, which will unlock different locations for the players to shoot from on the court. Once the math problem has been solved correctly, the students will direct their Jazz teammate to the shot location to earn points on the scoreboard.

At the end of the game, the Jazz players will talk to the attendees about the importance of math in their everyday lives, as well as take a group photo.

The Jazz Math Hoops program, in conjunction with the non-profit Learn Fresh, will conclude in early April with a regional tournament for all of the student participants.

Jazz vs Cavs NBA virtual reality game broadcast

The Utah Jazz vs Cleveland Cavaliers home game on Tuesday, Jan. 10 will be broadcast live in virtual reality, as part of NBA Digital and NextVR’s season-long initiative to deliver weekly games in VR through NBA LEAGUE PASS.

This programming marks the first regular schedule of live games delivered in VR by a professional sports league.

The VR broadcasts are fully produced with dedicated announcers, multiple unmanned camera angles and optimized graphics. Game breaks are filled with in-venue entertainment, behind-the-scenes footage from the arena and VR-specific commentary.

“The Utah Jazz are excited to be featured in two virtual reality broadcasts by the NBA this season,” said Utah Jazz President Steve Starks. “We support the NBA’s drive forward in VR innovation and the capability of giving our global fan base courtside seats for Jazz games through technology.”

For local viewers, the VR broadcast of Utah-Cleveland game will be blacked out. More information on the NBA LEAGUE PASS VR Game of the Week is available at http://www.nba.com/vr.

The Utah Jazz game at Oklahoma City on Feb. 28 is also on the NBA VR broadcast schedule.

George Hill the second-leading scorer on Jazz

George Hill’s individual impact on the Jazz is obvious.

On a team that struggles to handle the ball, Hill’s low turnover rate is badly needed. On a team that craves perimeter scoring, the guard is dropping 20 points a night. And on a team that hasn’t defended opposing point guards very well, Hill is one of the NBA’s best in that category.

But for all of the things Hill brings the Jazz — he returned from a sprained toe in Thursday night’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers — the biggest boon Utah receives from his presence is arguably his ripple effect.

Things simply look easier for the Jazz this season when he is on the floor. The defense is whole. The offense looks more crisp, more lethal. And that’s something the Jazz have sorely needed. Yes, they treaded water for the last 13 games, and have even gained a bit of ground. But when Hill plays, the Jazz tend to overwhelm their opposition in spurts. And that’s exactly what happened during the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s win over Philadelphia.

— Salt Lake Tribune

Quick Take: The Jazz are 20-13 this season and are tied with the Thunder for the 5th best record in the Western conference. Hill is the team’s second leading scorer, behind Gordon Hayward (22.3 ppg), though he’s averaging just 4.3 apg. Overall, they are a very solid squad with definite potential to keep rising.

Derrick Favors likely back soon for Utah Jazz

Derrick Favors should return soon for Utah Jazz

Derrick Favors won’t know until Wednesday if he’s going to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

But at least the signs are positive for the Utah Jazz starting power forward.

Favors practiced on Monday morning, doing almost everything, according to coach Quin Snyder. He was made available to the media, which doesn’t happen unless it looks as if he’s going to play. He will practice on Tuesday and go through Wednesday morning’s shootaround.

So even if he doesn’t make it back into the lineup by Wednesday night, Favors’ rehabilitation from a bone contusion is trending upward.

— Salt Lake Tribune

Quick Take: The Jazz are 15-10 this season, which is the 7th best record in the Western conference, and half a game behind the 6-seed Thunder. They’ve played well despite multiple injuries to several of their most important players. Definitely keep a closer watch on the Jazz once Favors is back.

LeBron James, George Hill named Players of Week

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the Utah Jazz’s George Hill today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 6.

James led the unbeaten Cavaliers to a 3-0 week, averaging 24.7 points (fourth in the East), 11.3 assists (first in the East) and 9.3 rebounds. On Nov. 3, he scored a season-high 30 points and added 12 assists and seven rebounds in a 128-122 win over the Boston Celtics. He followed that performance with 25 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and two steals in a 102-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 5. During the game, James passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Hill helped the Jazz to a 3-1 week behind averages of 20.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He connected on 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) shots from the field, including 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from three-point range. On Nov. 2, he scored a season-high 25 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in a 97-81 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Hill capped his week by recording 23 points and a season-high nine assists in a 114-109 win over the New York Knicks on Nov. 6. Utah improved to 4-0 when Hill scores at least 20 points.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Dwight Howard, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, Houston’s James Harden, the LA Clippers’ Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Orlando’s Evan Fournier, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan.

Jazz recall Joel Bolomboy from D-League

The Utah Jazz have recalled forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s exclusively owned and operated NBA D-League team. He will re-join the team prior to tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.

This marked the first assignment this season for Bolomboy (6-9, 235, Weber State). He has appeared in two games for the Jazz this season, averaging 1.5 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocked shots in 2.6 minutes per game. He registered three points, one rebound and one blocked shot at Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 30.

Bolomboy is the fifth player to be assigned to the D-League under the Jazz-Stars single affiliation. Other players on the current Jazz roster with D-League experience include Rudy Gobert and Shelvin Mack.