Clippers Injury Report vs. Blazers: Will Derrick Jones Jr. Play?

The LA Clippers continue to be short-handed as they look to turn their season around.

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The Los Angeles Clippers are entering a crucial stretch of games after leaving behind a tough slate of opponents. Beating the Lakers and the Rockets in back-to-back games, the Clippers are carrying positive momentum as they go on the road to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. After that, they have a five-game home stretch with a few winnable games. This is as good a chance to turn their season around and close the 3.5-game gap between themselves and the tenth-seeded Blazers.

Unfortunately, however, the Clippers will continue to be short-handed. According to the team's official injury report, Derrick Jones Jr. will remain out with his knee sprain. This is in addition to Ivica Zubac, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul missing the game.

Derrick Jones Jr. Remains Out for Clippers vs. Blazers on Friday

There was some hope that Jones would be available to return, as he has been at least a partial participant in practices and played five-on-five last week. Initially, Jones' return timetable was announced for early January, but it seems like he is ahead of schedule since he suffered the injury on November 16. Once he gets back, Jones should give the Clippers a major defensive boost on the perimeter.

Amid these absences, the Clippers will likely continue to start James Harden, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, and Brook Lopez. This group was very good against the Rockets on Tuesday, and the Clippers will hope to see more of the same. Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Sanders, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser will come off the bench to make a nine-man rotation for head coach Ty Lue.

Fortunately for the Clippers, they are facing a team even more short-handed than they are. The Blazers will be without Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Blake Wesley, and Matisse Thybulle. Kris Murray and Robert Williams III are questionable to play per the official injury report.

After a strong start to the season, the Blazers have been struggling to get wins. Going 4-8 in their last 12 games, the Blazers have fallen to 12-18 for the season. They will almost certainly be a direct rival of the Clippers as they chase a Play-In spot, so a win against them on Friday will go a long way in Ty Lue's dreams of remaining a competitive team in the Western Conference.