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Clippers Injury Report vs. Blazers: LA Almost at Full Strength Against Portland

The Los Angeles Clippers' injury report looks promising ahead of the crucial Blazers clash.
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

After winning five straight games, the Los Angeles Clippers are in an excellent spot with only seven games left in the regular season. They host their biggest rival in the race for the No. 8 seed on Tuesday night at 11 pm EST. If they defeat the Portland Trail Blazers to improve to 40-36 for the season, the Clippers will increase their lead over them to 2.5 games. This will put them firmly in control in their pursuit of a playoff spot.

Fortunately for the Clippers, their injury concerns are seemingly behind them. On their injury report ahead of the crucial clash, the Clippers have only listed Isaiah Jackson as out, in addition to the usual absences of Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Clippers Fully Healthy Besides Isaiah Jackson vs. Blazers

This is a great development for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard, Darius Garland, and John Collins have all popped up on the injury list on various occasions over the last several weeks. Leonard and Collins were both dealing with ankle sprains, and Garland is still closely monitored for toe injury management reasons. The fact that all three starters are available to play with no designations on Tuesday helps the Clippers' chances.

Jackson's absence, however, is still notable. The former Pacer is the only other center on the roster besides Brook Lopez. Without Jackson, head coach Ty Lue had to rely on small-ball lineups with Nicolas Batum or Collins at center on Sunday against the Bucks. We can expect to see more of the same against Portland.

The Blazers, on the other hand, have a few significant absences. Dynamic shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe has been out since February with a fibula injury. Sharpshooter Vit Krejci will miss his ninth straight game with a calf contusion, and Jerami Grant will miss his fourth game out of the last six with a calf injury of his own.

Amid these absences, Portland head coach Tiago Splitter made a few changes to the rotation, starting Scoot Henderson in Sunday's win over the Wizards. Henderson joined Jrue Holiday, first-time All-Star Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan in the starting lineup, and that's expected to continue against the Clippers.

LA was able to defeat the Blazers in the first two matchups of the season. A win tonight would clinch the tiebreaker and give them an important advantage in the final stretch of the season. With a healthier rotation, the Clippers should feel good about their chances to take care of business.

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Cem Yolbulan
CEM YOLBULAN

Cem has worked as an Associate Editor for FanSided's Regional Betting Network sites for two years and continues to be a contributor, producing NBA and NFL content. He has also previously written soccer content for Sports Illustrated. He has extensive prior experience covering the NBA for various Fansided sites. Cem has been living in the Washington, DC area for over 15 years since moving to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey. On any given day, he can be found watching soccer or basketball on his couch with his many cats and dogs.

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