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- Utah Jazz sixth man and third-leading scorer Gordon Hayward returns tonight after a 10-game absence. Hayward has been hobbled by a right shoulder sprain suffered against the Indiana Pacers on Jan 26. The Jazz are thrilled to have Hayward’s versatility back on the floor for them as they went 6-4 with him on the bench. Hayward, who averages 13.5 points per game, will have his minutes monitored as he works back into game shape. “Gordon is a go,” said Utah coach Tyrone Corbin. “It’s great. We’re excited to have him back. He’s excited and ready to go.”
- The Golden State Warriors don’t have any key players coming back tonight — they’re just hoping to return to how they’ve played for most of the season. They lost their last five games before the All-Star break. Those five defeats came by an average of 18.4 points per game and they allowed 118 points in those contests. The lowlight was a 140-109 loss at Houston. Golden State coach Mark Jackson acknowledged that the break came at a good time for his team. “It came at a good time for us to get away. Not for any other reason,” Jackson said. “Just ultimately I think there comes a point in time you need to shut it down, get away from the game and regroup. Certainly it was perfect timing for us.”
- Jazz assistant coach Sidney Lowe will be on the bench tonight. He was arrested in North Carolina on Monday for failing to play state income taxes there. Corbin said Lowe will retain his same assistant coaching duties. “We’re moving forward,” Corbin said. “It’s a personal situation he’s dealing with. We support him wholeheartedly.”
- Jackson said center Andrew Bogut is making progress in his left ankle rehab. Bogut will start playing in back-to-back games, which means he’ll be available to play against Phoenix tonight. He’ll be in the starting lineup tonight, and his minutes will be monitored on the second night of back-to-backs. Bogut has played in six games, and the Warriors are 3-3 in those contests. “We’re excited about what lies ahead,” Jackson said. “We’ll continue to make sure — not only with him but with everybody — make sure everybody is fine and in position to play.”
– Andrew Aragon
