Clippers Injury Report vs. Blazers: Who Is Out in the Most Important Game of the Season?

The Los Angeles Clippers have a chance to secure the eighth seed in the Western Conference heading into the postseason on Friday. A win against the Trail Blazers in Portland will give the Clippers a big advantage in the Play-In Tournament. As an eight seed, the Clippers would have two opportunities to win one game and clinch a playoff spot. A loss would give the tiebreaker to the Blazers and almost certainly send the Clippers to the Play-In as the ninth seed, requiring them to win two games in a row to make the playoffs.

Head coach Ty Lue said that his team understands the significance of Friday's game and is "up for the challenge," per Clippers insider Grant Mona. Beat reporter Joey Linn reported Kawhi Leonard's remarks ahead of the game, highlighting that the team will "just play like any other game" and "do the same thing [they] do every night."

Clippers Near Full Strength vs. Blazers on Friday

Fortunately for the Clippers, they will be close to full strength in the most important game of the season. In their official injury report before the game, the Clippers had no new injuries pop up. Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser have already been ruled out for the season and Isaiah Jackson remains sidelined with an ankle sprain.

This will be the seventh straight missed game for Jackson. He revealed recently that he is hoping to be back on Sunday against the Warriors or the Play-In tournament, but in the meantime, the Clippers have to continue to be without a backup center. John Collins will spend significant minutes as the small-ball center off the bench.

The Clippers will push their stars and veterans to play as many minutes he can handle. Darius Garland sat out on Wednesday against OKC on the second night of a back-to-back, and Kawhi Leonard hasn't played more than 30 minutes in any of his last three games. Both players should be well-rested and ready to carry a significant load in Portland.

For the Blazers, veteran forward Jerami Grant remains out with a calf strain. Shooting guards Shaedon Sharpe and Vit Krejci are questionable and will be game-time decisions. Sharpe hasn't played in two months with a stress reaction on his left leg, and Krejci has been dealing with a calf contusion for the past three weeks. It's hard to imagine either player having a large role for the Blazers even if they made their return on Friday.