The Utah Jazz estimate that point guard Ricky Rubio will miss 10 days with a left hamstring strain, league sources told ESPN on Saturday.
The Jazz play the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday.
There is some hope within the Jazz organization that Rubio's injury could be reevaluated and he could return sooner, but that will depend on how rapidly he responds to rehabilitation, league sources said.
Rubio underwent an MRI in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Never too high, never too low.
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) April 28, 2018
We gon hold it down for you Rick!🙏🏾💯✊🏾 https://t.co/W9OIVK42V6
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 28, 2018
He left Friday night's series-clinching 96-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder midway through the first quarter, appearing to suffer the injury after a behind-the-back pass to Rudy Gobert.
Rubio grimaced and limped a little before checking out of the game. He did not return.
He had dealt with soreness in his left hamstring in early April, causing him to miss a few games late in the season.
Rookie star Donovan Mitchell handled the vast majority of the point guard duties during Rubio's absence in Game 6, with small forward Joe Ingles' ballhandling duties also increasing. Reserve shooting guard Alec Burks saw his first meaningful playing time of this postseason, responding with 11 points in 17 minutes.
Dante Exum is an option at point guard, but he has not earned coach Quin Snyder's trust during the playoffs. Exum, a 22-year-old former fifth overall pick who missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury, played only three minutes in Game 6 despite Rubio's early exit.
Rubio has been playing some of the best basketball of his career under Snyder and assistant coach Igor Kokoskov. In back-to-back playoff victories over the Thunder, Rubio had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists in Game 2, and 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 3.
The Jazz acquired Rubio, 27, in an offseason trade with Minnesota, where he played his first six NBA seasons.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Royce Young contributed to this report.