Ace Bailey will miss the Utah Jazz’s Saturday night matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.
On night two of a back-to-back set, the Jazz will continue to evaluate their star rookie’s situation after he suffered a setback on Friday.
Amid the Jazz’s impressive win over the Detroit Pistons, Bailey’s underwhelming night went from bad to worse in the first half. He left the court to get his hip evaluated, which led to Utah’s medical staff ruling him out for the remainder of the game.
The Jazz ended up faring well enough to stun the Pistons with a 131-129 victory. Now, they don’t have much time to rest, as they will be back on the court to pay a visit to the Spurs.
“I know it’s a hip-flexor strain,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy told reporters after Friday night’s game. “The severity of it, which I don’t know at this time.”
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The team hasn’t been able to put a timeline on Bailey’s injury, but he’s sure to miss Saturday’s action. It will be Bailey’s first absence since he made his NBA debut back in October.
When Bailey left the court on Friday night, he checked out after 11 minutes. During that time, he attempted just two shots from the field, going scoreless throughout the evening.
Before his latest setback, Bailey had been posting averages of 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He is seeing the court for 23.8 minutes of action, making 43 percent of his shots from the field and draining 35 percent of his threes.
Bailey’s availability moving forward will be something to keep an eye on, as his worst setback yet has affected his availability this weekend. Meanwhile, the Jazz will host one of the West’s top teams, as the Spurs are 23-7 while sitting in the second place on Saturday.