Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic to have nose surgery and miss the rest of the season

HOUSTON (AP) — Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic will undergo nose surgery this week and miss the remainder of the season.

Jazz coach Will Hardy said before Monday’s game against Houston that Nurkic has needed the procedure for a while.

“He has had a really bad deviated septum in his nose,” Hardy said. “He has gotten hit in the face four or five times this year. His recent sickness has pushed that forward. It’s something that he’s needed to get done for a while now, so he’s going to get it taken care of.”

The 31-year-old Nurkic averaged 10.9 points and 10.4 rebounds in 41 games in his first season with the Jazz. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.

“Nurk has been a big part of what we’ve done this year, and he helps our team in a bunch of ways,” Hardy said.

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