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Following the exclusion of Lauri Markkanen from nine consecutive games in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, the Utah Jazz faced a reprimand from the league on Wednesday afternoon.
As stated in the press release: “Today, the NBA informed that the Utah Jazz organization has been fined $100,000 for breaching the league’s Player Participation Policy. This violation occurred when the Jazz did not make star player Lauri Markkanen available for their matchup against the Washington Wizards on March 5 at Capital One Arena, along with several other recent games. This Policy, established before the 2023-24 season, aims to encourage player participation during the NBA regular season.”
Markkanen was kept on the injury list, with the official reason for his nine-game absence cited as low back injury management. This rationale was also previously mentioned earlier in the season, where he was either cleared to play or sidelined.
The 27-year-old Finnish forward made his return shortly after the penalty, spending 28 minutes on the court in a losing game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. He scored 14 points, shooting 5 of 14 from the field, and grabbed six rebounds.
With just 16 games remaining, the Jazz find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a record of 15-51. During Markkanen’s absence, they became the first team to be eliminated from contention for the 2025 Playoffs.
The former Arizona standout was acquired by the Jazz through trade before the 2022-23 season and has previously played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls.
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