This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Shooting guard Rodney Hood will travel with his teammates to Dallas but won't play against the Mavericks on Friday as he continues to recover from a bone bruise and hyperextended right knee.
That could mean a second consecutive start for Joe Ingles, who is enjoying a successful, and perhaps surprising, third NBA season.
"Coming in, I didn't think I would be playing this much," Ingles said Thursday. But while his teammates have dealt with unfortunate injuries, Ingles has taken advantage. "I've been lucky enough to play when I've got those opportunities."
His coach, however, seems less surprised.
"I've got a lot of confidence in him," Quin Snyder said. "That comes from a very, very transparent relationship. I've said hard things to him about what I think he needs to do as a player. … As a result, I think there's a trust there. I can tell him when I think he's made a mistake."
Ingles is averaging 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20 minutes per game, and his 46-percent 3-point shooting has been among the best in the NBA this season.
Snyder has turned to Ingles for some surprising defensive assignments late in games in recent weeks, including some spot duty against Cleveland's LeBron James and a matchup with Suns leading scorer Devin Booker.
"If you play defense, you're going to play," Snyder said. "That's the way you can stay on the floor. And he likes to shoot enough that he's going to play defense."
Planning ahead
Friday marks the first of a difficult stretch of four games in five nights for the Jazz. But Snyder believes his team's offseason acquisitions have his team well positioned for success.
"I think we project and think about it and loosely plan for it," Snyder said of adjusting minutes and resting players to handle the heavy load. "Some of it the game will dictate."
The Jazz rested forward Joe Johnson against the Orlando Magic and saw him bounce back with a 15-point game against the Suns.
"We got some dividends for that," Snyder said. "I thought he came with more life against Phoenix than he's had for a little bit."
Injury report
Point guard George Hill tweaked his ankle in Tuesday's win at Phoenix but said Thursday that he feels fine and expects to play Friday in Dallas.
Twitter: @aaronfalk