Jaren Jackson likely out for season after making Utah Jazz home debut
Team says new Jazzman has growth in knee that requires surgery
Rob Gray, Associated Press
Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (20) goes up for a shot against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City.The Utah Jazz made a splash trading for Jaren Jackson Jr., the former All-Star and defensive player of the year, and fans will have had but a glimpse of what his future next to Lauri Markkanen looks like.
That’s because Jackson’s season is likely over.
The Jazz announced the eight-year forward is undergoing surgery to remove a non-cancerous growth in his left knee discovered in a post-trade MRI.
The growth, called a localized pigmented villonodular synovitis, will be removed over the All-Star break, the team says. Jackson averaged 19.4 points on 47.6 percent from the field, as well as 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks, in 48 games this season.
In three games with the Jazz, Jackson averaged 22.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 49% field goal shooting.
The team did not say Jackson was done for the season, which is two-thirds over, but multiple outlets are reporting that will be the case.
Yahoo Sports reports a PVNS growth is a benign tumor that “isn’t capable of spreading, but can cause more damage the longer it remains in the body.”
— Brett Hein, Standard-Examiner
JAZZ 121, KINGS 93
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr scored 23 points in his home debut to lead the Utah Jazz to a 121-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Lauri Markkanen scored 19 points to help the Jazz win their second straight game. Isaiah Collier added 12 points and 14 assists. Brice Sensabaugh added 19 points off the bench.
Utah shot 54.7% from the field and made 15 3-pointers. Jackson and Markkanen combined for 15 baskets over three quarters.
Demar DeRozan led Sacramento with 20 points and Devin Carter added 19. The Kings lost their 14th straight game after trailing by double digits over the final 40 minutes.
Utah outscored Sacramento 25-6 in fastbreak points and 58-42 in the paint.
Markkanen and Sensabaugh combined to score five straight baskets, powering a 24-3 run that gave Utah a 39-15 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. The Jazz scored on seven consecutive possessions overall during the run while holding Sacramento without a field goal for nearly six minutes.
Back-to-back baskets from Daeqwon Plowden and DeRozan over the final 11 seconds of the first quarter ended Sacramento’s shooting drought. The Kings went 7 for 29 (24.1%) from the field in the quarter.
Utah did not let up offensively in the second quarter and led 71-44 at the break.
The Jazz extended their lead to 34 points after three quarters, going up 100-66 when Sensabaugh scored on a finger roll layup to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
— John Coon, Associated Press
