Trail Blazers Injury Report: Portland May Be Without 8 Players Vs Thunder
Your 17-43 Portland Trail Blazers could be missing as many as eight players against the Western Conference's No. 2-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (42-19) when their matchup tips off tonight at 7 p.m. PT.
Winning is not a priority for this club. Angling for the best lottery odds is. So a victory tonight may perhaps not be optimal. But that doesn't mean this will be particularly fun to watch.
According to the NBA's most recent injury report, guards Malcolm Brogdon (right elbow tendinitis), Scoot Henderson (left adductor strain), and Shaedon Sharpe (lower abdominal surgery) all remain out. Veteran reserve center Robert Williams III (right knee ligament tear), an All-Defensive Teamer when healthy, remains done for the year. Starting center Deandre Ayton is still doubtful with his right hand sprain, but his replacement, Duop Reath, has done an admirable job in his stead. Starting power forward Jerami Grant (right quad contusion), defense-only wing Matisse Thybulle (left hip strain) and exciting rookie forward Toumani Camara (general illness) are all questionable to play.
For the Thunder, reserve big man Jaylin Williams (not to be confused with starting Oklahoma City power forward Jalen Williams) is out with a left knee sprain, while young players Keyontae Johnson, Adam Flagler and Ousmane Dieng are all with the club's NBAGL affiliate club, the Oklahoma City Blue.
