The going gets a little tougher for the Utah Jazz as Ricky Rubio has been declared out for the rest of Friday night’s Game 6 matchup with the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City because of soreness in his left hamstring, per the Jazz’s official Twitter account and Royce Young of ESPN.

This is a significant blow to the Jazz, as Rubio is one of the team’s most effective players in the series. Rubio entered Game 6 with averages of 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game.

Article Continues Below
More NBA News
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) reacts to a call during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center
Thunder’s Jalen Williams reveals biggest issue in 4th quarter meltdown vs PacersJosue Pavon ·
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) makes the game winning shot over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the fourth quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
You won’t believe the last time the Thunder lost to East team at homeNathan Yasis ·
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter in game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
Chandler Parsons gets brutally honest on Tyrese Haliburton’s Game 1Malik Brown ·
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) steals the ball from Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second quarter at Delta Center.
Bill Simmons brainstorms Paul George for Lauri Markkanen 76ers-Jazz tradePreston Byers ·
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden
Knicks rumors: How player input factored into New York’s decision to fire Tom ThibodeauQuinn Allen ·
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and guard Luguentz Dort (5) look on during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
Richard Jefferson claims Thunder were ‘lost and fatigued’ late in Game 1Julian Ojeda ·

Before exiting the contest, Rubio has logged in seven minutes of floor duty, coming up zero points, three assists, and a defensive rebound.

With Ricky Rubio out, the Jazz will give increased minutes to Dante Exum while Raul Neto and David Stockton could also see minimal bump in minutes. More importantly, Rubio’s absence leaves a heavier workload on the shoulders of rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell, Utah’s top scorer in the regular season and in these playoffs. So far in the postseason, Mitchell is putting up 26.6 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the field.

Hamstring injuries are typically tricky to deal with in terms of projecting a player’s recovery timetable, but the fact that Rubio could not brave through the injury to play in such a crucial game suggests that it’s likely serious enough to be a concern beyond Game 6.