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The injury-depleted Jazz are hoping to get back one of their top players sooner than expected.

Shooting guard Alec Burks has elected to undergo surgery on his broken ankle on Tuesday morning, an NBA source informed The Salt Lake Tribune on Monday night. The surgery will provide stability to the bone and could actually advance his recovery time, the source said.

Burks, who is also battling a concussion, was injured during Utah's defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. He was injured when he went down the lane and elevated at the basket. Clippers forward Paul Pierce came under Burks, and he crashed to the Vivint Smart Home Arena floor.

Originally, Burks' timeline was set at six weeks. That won't change drastically with the surgery. But surgery would allow Burks to return to weight-bearing activities around two weeks after the operation. That would allow for a more rigorous rehabilitation and allow for Burks to return to game shape faster, when he's ready to return to the floor, according to a Utah Jazz source.

The Jazz are an organization that is usually conservative with returns from injury, so Burks and the team garnered four opinions from different surgeons. Still, Burks wants to return to the floor as quickly as possible, which is why the surgery is being performed.

Burks has been one of the best scorers on the team this season, averaging 14.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per night. He usually leads the second unit from night to night and usually is on the floor in fourth quarters.

Without him on Monday night, the Jazz struggled mightily down the stretch, failing to make shots that amounted to wide-open looks. When small forward Gordon Hayward hit a 3-pointer with a little over 30 seconds remaining, it represented one of the few made jumpers of the second half for Utah.

"It was rough shooting tonight. We missed a lot of good looks, a lot of plays at the rim," Hayward said. "I made a big one at the end; that's why you keep shooting it."

Without Burks, the Jazz went more with Elijah Millsap, Joe Ingles and Chris Johnson for wing play off the bench. Ingles and Johnson proved solid, with Ingles scoring eight points.

Point guard Trey Burke also picked up a lot of Burks' scoring, with 14 points. He made a big 3-pointer with three minutes remaining, and his ability to get into the lane opened up offense for himself and others.

"We just came together tonight," Burke said. "We know that we have some guys out now. Guys come to practice every day working hard, but now other guys have to step up and be ready to play until those guys get back. The way we were winning and then they ended up coming back, getting hit with the injury bug. It's not an excuse, but I think that kind of allowed us to let up. We found a way to stay together as a group and get the win."

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