The Utah Jazz fell to the Brooklyn Nets in a battle of the NBA’s lower-tier teams, losing 109-99 without star forward Lauri Markkanen. However, one moment stole all the attention from the otherwise regular January game. Jazz guard Keyonte George exited tonight’s game with an injury. Here’s what happened to him.

Why Did Keyonte George Leave the Game? What Injury Did He Suffer?

With about 2:40 left in the final quarter, Nets rookie Nolan Traore drove in, getting some contact on George before the Jazz guard started limping, holding his left leg while bouncing around on his right. During the dead ball resulting from his foul on Traore, George checked out of the game and immediately headed to the locker room.

Soon after he left, it was announced that he wasn’t returning to the game with a left ankle sprain, but it didn’t have much bearing on the final result, especially since the Nets were already up by nine when he left.

According to the Jazz, an X-ray revealed nothing serious, and head coach Will Hardy will see how the injury looks tomorrow before making a decision.

How Did Keyonte George Perform Before Leaving?

Keyonte George performed exceptionally well before his unfortunate exit. In 32 minutes, and without his co-star, George led the team with 26 points, seven assists, and three rebounds on 9-11 shooting, as well as 10 free throws attempted. He was the focal point of the offense tonight and kept it close throughout.

This is just the latest in a breakout season for George, who is quickly making an impressive case for Most Improved Player. This season, he’s averaging 24.1 points and 6.6 assists, while also making the jump to a good shooter and three-level scorer, improving his shooting clips to 45.4/37.8/89.9, a massive jump from last year’s 39.1/34.3/81.8 clips.

Top Stories

Giannis Antetokounmpo All but Confirms Warriors Trade With 6-Figure Decision: NBA Rumor

James Harden Makes 7-Figure Sacrifice for Cavs Trade While Insider Debunks LA Reports

Giannis Antetokounmpo Makes Final Decision on Warriors Trade as Draymond Green Faces Axe – Reports

Everyone Notices Caitlin Clark’s Reaction After Reggie Miller’s Viral “Disrespect” on NBC

LeBron James Subtly Announces Retirement Decision After Reports of Lakers Fallout

How Did the Utah Jazz Adjust Without George?

After Keyonte George exited the game, he was immediately replaced by Brice Sensabaugh, who did his best to fill in, logging 18 points on poorer efficiency than George.

The Jazz saw a balanced scoring output from all over their roster, with Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, and Isaiah Collier all chipping in double-digit scoring, combining for 36 points, as well as some solid playmaking from Collier, who threw seven assists.

Egor Demin wasted no time in setting the tone tonight, knocking down a three on the Nets‘ first possession to increase his NBA rookie-record streak to 34 straight games with at least one made three.

He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Nets played with a sense of urgency despite missing Michael Porter Jr., snapping a seven-game losing streak behind added efforts from Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Danny Wolf.

Utah didn’t fold, using George’s effort to close off the second quarter on a 14-2 run to reduce their deficit to two in the Nets’ favor heading into halftime.

Bailey tied up the score multiple times in the third, but Utah never managed to take the lead. Jalen Wilson, Demin and Wolf played closers to shut the Jazz’s window tonight, extending their losing streak to five.