Jazz forward Derrick Favors questionable for Game 1 vs. Golden State

Coming off a good Game 7 against the Clippers, Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors is questionable for Game 1 against Golden State.

In a Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors posted a double-double (17 points and 11 rebounds) with three steals and one assist over 30 minutes off the bench. He scored in double-figures in four times in the series, on his way to averaging 10 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

As the Jazz have a quick turnaround and get ready to start a series against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune reported Favors missed practice on Monday due to a sore back. He is considered questionable for Game 1 against the Warriors, as Favors seemed to be virtually all season due to a lingering sore left knee on his way to playing just 50 regular season games.

Favors’ level of participation during shootaround on Tuesday was going to be a great indicator of his status, and now there’s some word.

Favors is still considered questionable for Game 1, and he may be headed for a full-blown game-time decision. If he can’t go, Boris Diaw, Jeff Withey and Trey Lyles would be in line of for more minutes. Lyles is not known to be injured, but he did not get off the bench at all in the series against the Clippers. If Lyles is in the dog house of head coach Quin Snyder, he may be forced back into the rotation on a limited basis by Favors’ absence.

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To have any real chance to beat Golden State, in any single game or the series as a whole, the Jazz will have to slow down the pace and impose some physical will on the Warriors. Being without Favors would hurt that cause, as his injury-hampered season continues.