The New Orleans Pelicans take on the Portland Trail Blazers in this Western Conference battle at the Moda Center in Portland. These teams have met three times this season with the Pelicans winning the last two.
The latest injury report for New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers
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The Blazers
Sunday’s 118-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was the second straight defeat for the Portland Trail Blazers (32-44, 34-38-1 ATS).
Portland dropped to 13th in the Western Conference after their eighth straight loss and are now 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.
There is still talk that the team may shut down Damian Lillard for the season after he missed his second game in a row with a calf injury.
Lillard (calf) has been sidelined for the rest of the season, and the Trail Blazers are considering not playing him. On Monday, he won’t be able to face the Pelicans.
Considering that Lillard is experiencing right calf soreness and the Blazers are 3.5 games out of the play-in race, this was speculated to be a possibility just over a week ago and now likely makes the most sense for both parties.
Even if the shutdown isn’t official, it seems unlikely that Lillard would play in any of the remaining nine games.
Trendon Watford left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return; Jusuf Nurkic (knee), Jerami Grant (quadriceps), and Anfernee Simons (foot) also did not play.
The current Trail Blazers squad is having a tough time of it. Over the last seven games, they’ve lost five by at least 14 points. After such a historic showing, New Orleans should easily outscore Portland on the glass.
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| PLAYER | INJURY |
STATUS
|
| Trendon Watford | Ankle |
Game Time Decision
|
| Anfernee Simons | Foot |
Game Time Decision
|
| Damian Lillard | Calf |
Game Time Decision
|
| Jusuf Nurkic | Knee |
Game Time Decision
|
| Jerami Grant | Quadriceps |
Game Time Decision
|
| Ibou Badji | Knee |
Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
|
| Justise Winslow | Ankle |
Expected to be out until at least Apr 2
|
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The Pelicans
On Saturday, the New Orleans Pelicans (37-37, 35-39-0 ATS) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 131-110, for their fourth consecutive victory.
Brandon Ingram finished with 32 points (12-22 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 4 rebounds, and 13 assists in 34 minutes.
The victory that Ingram delivered was crucial to the Pelicans’ postseason hopes. After a fantastic triple-double against the Hornets, Ingram kept the momentum going with 54.5 percent shooting and a season-high 13 assists.
With this win, the Pelicans are now 1.5 games behind the Warriors and Clippers for the seventh spot in the Western Conference. The Pelicans have gone 13-24 away from home this season, but they are 2-0 in their most recent road games.
The Pelicans are playing well at a critical time despite missing Zion Williamson for the past 37 games.
New Orleans has prevailed by an average of 21.3 points during the winning streak.
The Pelicans had previously won by 10, 35, and 19 points before their 21-point victory over the Clippers in the first game of a four-game road trip. They scored at least 115 points in all four of the victories.
| PLAYER | INJURY |
STATUS
|
| Zion Williamson | Hamstring |
Expected to be out until at least Apr 7
|
| Jose Alvarado | Leg |
Expected to be out until at least Apr 7
|
| E.J. Liddell | Knee |
Expected to be out until at least Jul 1
|
