Jazz’s Markkanen (Wrist), Jackson (Knee) Undergoing MRIs

A pair of Jazz frontcourt stars are undergoing MRIs after exiting Monday’s loss to Memphis due to injuries, writes John Coon of The Associated Press.

Forward Lauri Markkanen injured his right wrist roughly six minutes into the first quarter as he attempted to run around a screen set by teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. and got his hand caught between Jackson and Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer (Twitter video link). He headed to the locker room after the play and didn’t return.

Not long after that, at the 10:17 mark in the second quarter, Jackson sustained an injury of his own when Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome fell into his right knee after driving to the net and getting fouled by Svi Mykhailiuk (Twitter video link). Jackson managed to stay in the game for the next offensive position, but subsequently checked out and was later ruled out for the night.

Head coach Will Hardy didn’t have an update on either player after the game, telling reporters, “We’ll know more tomorrow once they get some imaging.”

Losing either player for an extended period would be a problem for the Jazz, who are relying on Markkanen and Jackson to play significant roles in the frontcourt after signing-and-trading center Walker Kessler to the Lakers over the summer.

Utah is already shorthanded up front to open the season, with new starting center Jusuf Nurkic sidelined due to a toe injury. Additionally, big man Jaxson Hayes, who started the regular season opener at the five and averaged 23.7 minutes through the team’s first three games, sat out on Monday due to right shoulder soreness.

Mo Bamba is among the candidates for an increased role with Utah’s frontcourt banged up. He played 29 minutes on Monday and contributed 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and four blocks. The Jazz, who lost the game by five points, were a +11 during his time on the floor.