Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is being listed as questionable to play in Saturday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a left knee injury sustained against the Miami Heat.
In the second quarter of the game against Miami, Gobert was undercut by Heat guard Dion Waiters, who appeared to be diving to save a lose ball. The play immediately drew outrage from Jazz fans, who claim Waiters nearly caused a significant injury to Gobert on purpose.
It’s safe to say that Gobert agrees.
Dove for the ball right… https://t.co/0xnXZVy2eG
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) November 11, 2017
Gobert’s leg appeared to start buckling inward, similar to Gordon Hayward’s gruesome ankle injury suffered during the first game of the season. Luckily for Gobert and the Jazz, Gobert reacted quickly and pulled his leg out from harms way.
“He just dove right into my knee,” Gobert claimed afterward, according to the Deseret News. “Kind of like the same thing that happened before on my MCL, so my knee just went inside and kind of popped inside and back out.”
The NBA will review the incident to try to determine whether Waiters made the dive into Gobert intentionally. The Heat would wind up winning the game 84-74 after a series of late game shots from Waiters.
“It feels better than it looked on the video,” he said. “I think it was a dirty play, but no matter what the most important thing is to keep getting better.”
Gobert has averaged 14 points and 10.5 rebounds in 11 games for the Jazz this season. One of the elite rim protectors in the game, Gobert is coming off the best season of his NBA career.
