This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It feels as though injuries are going out of their way to find the Jazz these days.
The latest victim: forward Trevor Booker, who suffered a concussion on a freak play in Thursday night's loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Midway through the third quarter, Sacramento big man DeMarcus Cousins was whistled for a traveling violation, but continued his path to the basket. But when he tried to dunk, the ball hit the front of the rim and Cousins' hand smashed into Booker's face, leaving the Jazzman stunned.
Booker looked dazed as Cousins appeared to apologize to him and the Jazz forward had to be helped back to the locker room.
Booker will have to go through the NBA's protocol for returning to play and will undergo some testing Saturday. But how long he might be kept on the sideline has yet to be determined. He is listed as day-to-day.
Booker is averaging 5.4 points and 6.6 rebounds this season, his second with the Jazz.
All good?
Despite hauling in 12 rebounds and blocking two shots Thursday night, Rudy Gobert seemed a little bit off at times against the Kings. And the Jazz center, who recently missed 18 games with an MCL sprain, acknowledged after the game that he did experience pain after making a move but that it quickly subsided.
"Just one time I felt something then it went away, so I kept playing," he said.
Gobert said he trusts his knee brace to keep his ligament in place and doesn't have any fear playing right now. He was not in pain after the 103-101 loss to the Kings.
Shooting struggles
On his worst shooting night of the season, Gordon Hayward still scored a team-high 21 points. The forward made 13 of his 16 free-throw attempts Thursday, on a night he shot 4 for 17 from the field.
"I shot the ball extremely well in warmups and maybe I got rid of all them then," he said. "It felt good. It felt good the past couple of weeks, but for whatever reason they were not falling so we will figure it out. We will be all right."
It was an off night for Hayward, but not the worst of his career. Three other times the Jazzman has made four or fewer field goals when taking at least 17 shots, including a 1-for-17 performance against New Orleans in 2013.
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