Jazz's Keyonte George Out, Lauri Markkanen's Status Uncertain vs. Heat

The Utah Jazz will be without Keyonte George when they host the Miami Heat on Tuesday, and Lauri Markkanen could join him on the sidelines.

Utah ruled out George with a right ankle sprain on Monday's injury report, while Markkanen is questionable with a sprained right wrist.

Should both be unable to go come tip

-off, Will Hardy will be forced into a rotational strategy sans his top two scorers. 

George suffered his injury during Sunday's 115-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, rolling his ankle early in the fourth quarter after scoring 19 points and recording eight assists through the first three periods.

The setback comes amid a productive start for the third-year guard, who is averaging 21.1 points and 6.4 assists through 10 games.

Just last Wednesday, George scored 39 points in Utah's overtime loss to New Orleans.

Now, Will Hardy will have to find a replacement for his leading playmaker ... and potentially his leading available veteran scoring option, too.

Markkanen missed Sunday's contest against Minnesota after playing through a right wrist sprain that he originally suffered against Memphis on Oct. 26.

The Finnish forward made eight 3-pointers and scored 24 points against Dallas on Friday, but sat out two nights later.

His questionable designation leaves open the possibility of returning against Miami.

Utah's frontcourt was already undermanned before either development.

Jaren Jackson Jr. remains sidelined with a torn MCL in his right knee, while Jusuf Nurkic continues recovering from a partial plantar plate tear in the second toe of his right foot.

The Jazz announced Friday that Nurkic had begun participating in on-court activities and would be reevaluated in two weeks.

With George unavailable, Isaiah Collier and Svi Mykhailiuk could see additional opportunities in Utah's backcourt. But Darryn Peterson may be the more interesting name to watch.

The rookie scored a career-high 26 points against Minnesota, shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

He added six rebounds and four assists, building on a 21-point performance against Dallas two days earlier.

Hardy called it Peterson's best game as a professional, praising how he handled Minnesota's defensive pressure and attacked Rudy Gobert at the rim.

The Jazz enter Tuesday's matchup at 1-9, having lost eight consecutive games since their October 23 victory over the Pelicans.

And unless Markkanen is cleared to return, Peterson could find himself carrying an even heavier offensive workload than he did Sunday.