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Veteran point guard Jamaal Tinsley rejoined the Jazz for Saturday morning's shootaround in Los Angeles and is expected to be available for tonight's game.The Jazz play the Lakers at 8:30 p.m. Mountain at Staples Center. The game will not be televised.
Tinsley and power forward Paul Millsap missed the Jazz's 97-81 victory against Oklahoma City Friday night in Salt Lake City due to unrelated personal reasons. Paul Millsap, who was away for the funeral of his grandmother in Atlanta, did not attend the team's shootaround.
Tinsley, a 12th-year guard out of Iowa State, is entering his second season with the Jazz after emerging as a reliable backup a year ago. He averaged 3.7 points and 3.3 assists last season in 13 minutes per game for the Jazz. With Earl Watson still rehabbing from April knee surgery, Tinsley is expected to be the Jazz's primary point guard backup. However, his absence Friday did allow coach Tyrone Corbin to tinker with a lineup feature Alec Burks and Randy Foye in the backcourt.
The strategy essentially allows the Jazz two options at the position within one lineup.
"Either one of the two guys can handle the ball to get us in the offense," Corbin said Friday night. "They can make plays for themselves, they can get the secondary stuff inside. I thought it was a good showing tonight. They'll learn how not to wait on the other guy. Once one gets it, we're just down the floor in the play with that guy running the offense."
It will be interesting to see how much Corbin goes to that with Tinsley back in the mix and, even more so, when Watson starts playing again.
With Millsap's continued absence, Derrick Favors will presumably get his second straight start at power forward after a rough offensive showing against hte Thunder. Favors was 0-for-5 from the field and finished with 1 point.
— Bill Oram