The Ricky Rubio on display after the All-Star break last season is the one the Utah Jazz wanted when they traded for him last summer. And before he was sidelined with a hip injury two weeks ago, he was showing signs he was returning to that level.
On Friday, the Jazz announced their starting point guard will be available for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the hope is that Rubio can pick up where he left off before All-Star Weekend.
Rubio isn’t necessarily putting himself under that much pressure, especially since the Jazz continued their 11-game winning streak in three games without him. But after practicing Thursday and Friday, he was eager to return to action.
“It’s a little like preseason for me,” Rubio said. “It’s gonna take a little time, but I’m happy to back out on the court.”
In his last eight games, Rubio has been nothing short of a revelation: He has averaged 20.6 ppg, 7.8 apg and shooting 57.1 from 3-point range in that stretch. It’s been heavily correlated with Utah’s own success — the Jazz winning streak is its longest since 2009.
Rubio left a home game against the Charlotte Hornets early with a left hip injury. But he said he learned a lot about the character of the team while he was out for a few games.
“This team has a lot of heart, a lot of fight,” he said. “We don’t accept good — we want great.”
As the Jazz wrapped up shootaround at their own facility, the Trail Blazers were practicing at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Friday morning. They’re looking to get back from a 115-96 loss to the Jazz in Portland shortly before the break.
While Damian Lillard, an All-Star and a Weber State alum, scored 39 points, the Jazz had a furious third-quarter rally that all but snuffed the Blazers on their home court. They would like to pay Utah back in kind.
“They had a few actions that they were running over and over and over,” Lillard said. “Their offense presented a problem that we couldn’t solve at the time. We couldn’t figure it out in that game, but we know what we’re capable of.”
