Thanksgiving is here but the Utah Jazz had no one to thank as they went down 4-14 last night against the Nuggets. The moment Lauri Markkanen’s name was revealed to be absent from the lineup, the Jazz fans braced for a struggle. But on the flip side, there’s enough reason for Lauri to be happy despite the result.

According to the official X account of the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen and his wife Verna have reportedly welcomed his third child. This is why the Jazz forward was ruled out of the game citing “Personal Reasons.” So, he deserves to spend the time with his wife and two other children, a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old. Playing without their primary starter resulted in a 103-122 defeat, but fans would likely understand his reasons for being absent. Markkanen’s status for the game had not been confirmed earlier, and following the matchup against the Spurs the day before, concerns about his health grew.

It’s being reported that Lauri Markkanen has a third child, which is why he was out for “Personal Reasons”

Congrats to Lauri!! https://t.co/Ct5BIb8cJC pic.twitter.com/zCeUSXwlaB

— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) November 28, 2024

In the final quarter, the 27-year-old sustained an injury after a collision with Victor Wembanyama and was immediately escorted to the locker room. Head coach Will Hardy later confirmed that Markkanen was dealing with a left knee contusion, which significantly lowered his chances of appearing in Wednesday night’s clash. Prior to the game against Nuggets, the Finnisher was listed as “day-to-day” but the status was later updated to “out”. Now we all know the reason behind that.

However, the update on his injury remains uncertain, and it is still unclear when Markkanen will rejoin the team. Tony Jones of The Athletic shared in an X post that there was no structural damage found in his tests, but he later deleted the post. “Regarding Lauri Markkanen: the Jazz star is out tonight for personal reasons,” the insider stated. “But his knee has checked out fine, according to league sources. He has no structural damage from tests last night and an MRI confirmed as much this morning so it looks like he escaped serious injury.” Whatever be the reason reason for his absence, it will certainly cost Utah a great deal.

Will Jazz cope up with Lauri Markkanen’s loss?

The Utah Jazz are not in great shape, lingering at the bottom (14th spot) of the Western Conference standings with an unimpressive record. The franchise already has a growing injury list and with Lauri Markkanen out of the roster now, their chances of victory almost diminished. The 7-footer was a vital player putting up 19.5 points per game for the Jazz.

Ukranian swingman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk started the game against the Nuggets in Markkanen’s place and Brice Sensabaugh came off the bench but filling up his shoes will take more than that. Sure, they might not have tasted more than three wins this season in his presence but there’s no doubt about his contribution as a combo forward.

After Markkanen’s exit from Tuesday’s game, Hardy said, “These are the nights where you just have to lean into the adversity and say, ‘Okay, here’s a situation we didn’t plan for, and we need to try to emphasize everyone’s strengths even more.'” Coach Hardy needs to come up with a strategy to compensate for their thin roster or the team will continue to suffer.