Ricky Rubio Out Game 1 vs. Rockets with Hamstring Injury; May Miss Weeks
Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio could miss up to a "few weeks" with a left hamstring injury, according to the Salt Lake Tribune's Tony Jones.
ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski provided a slightly different timetable, noting Rubio could be sidelined as many as 10 days. However, he added the Spanish floor general could be back sooner "based upon progression in rehabilitation."
Rubio, who left Friday's Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter, has already been ruled out for Game 1 of Utah's second-round series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Rubio reacted to the diagnosis with a message on Twitter:
It's a serious setback for the Jazz, who leaned heavily on Rubio to orchestrate the offense in Round 1. Over the course of five games and change against the Thunder, Rubio piled up 14.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.3 steals a night.
Plus, the Jazz outscored the Thunder by 9.0 points per 100 possessions when Rubio was on the floor, according to NBA.com's lineup data. Conversely, Utah was outscored by 0.3 points per 100 possessions whenever Rubio was on the bench.
The most glaring difference came on defense. With Rubio buzzing around the perimeter, the Jazz posted a robust defensive rating of 95.0. However, that mark ballooned to 110.4 whenever he wasn't.
In the meantime, the onus will be on Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles to operate as Utah's primary ball-handlers with Dante Exum primed for a larger role in the backcourt.
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