Gobert to miss a month

Nov 16, 2017 - 6:12 PM Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert will miss at least four weeks due to a bone bruise in his knee, the team announced Sunday.

Utah announced that an MRI showed a right tibia contusion and Gobert will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Gobert was injured in the third quarter of Friday's 84-74 loss to the Miami Heat when he collided with Heat guard Dion Waiters chasing down a loose ball near the foul line. Waiters collided with Gobert's right knee and the 7-foot-1 Frenchman limped off the court before returning to finish the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

After the game, Gobert said it was "dirty play" according to the Deseret News. Before Miami's game in Detroit on Sunday, Waiters denied it was a dirty play.

"I went for the ball, tell him to get out of his feelings," Waiters told the Miami Herald. "And that's what it is, just like that."

Utah will likely use 6-foot-10 forward Derrick Favors as its starting center. Favors, who is two inches shorter than Gobert, recorded his first double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 114-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Gobert is averaging 13.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and shooting 62.6 percent in 12 games this season. Gobert, who is nicknamed "The Stifle Tower", also leads the NBA with 2.5 blocked shots per game.