The Utah Jazz (31-19) returned to practice on Friday after taking Thursday off. The Jazz will take on the Charlotte Hornets (23-27) on Saturday at 7:00 PM at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz are currently tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for 4th place in the Western Conference standings. The Hornets come into the game as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The Jazz have won 8 games out of their last 11. The Hornets have lost 6-straight games. The Jazz will be without Rodney Hood for at least the next week with a right knee bone contusion as well as a Grade 1 lateral collateral ligament sprain. On the flip side, Derrick favors participated through practice fully on Friday and is expected to make his return on Saturday. His defensive presence will be an added plus for the Jazz.
Derrick Favors spoke with the media following practice:
The media also caught up with Center Rudy Gobert today:
Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder talked with the media today after practice as well: