At Portland’s Moda Center, the New Orleans Pelicans take on the Portland Trail Blazers in a Western Conference matchup. The Pels have won the last two meetings between these teams this season.
Updates Injury Status for Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic
The New Orleans Pelicans (37-37, 35-39-0 ATS) extended their winning streak to four games with a 131-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
In 34 minutes of action, Brandon Ingram scored 32 points (12-22 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), grabbed four boards, and dished out thirteen assists.
The Pelicans’ playoff hopes hinged on Ingram’s game-winning performance. Ingram followed up his incredible triple-double against the Hornets with 54.5 percent shooting and a season-high 13 assists.
The Pelicans gained a half-game on the Warriors and Clippers, putting them in eighth place in the Western Conference. Despite a 13-24 record on the road this season, the Pelicans are 2-0 in their most recent away contests.
Despite losing Zion Williamson for the past 37 games, the Pelicans have been performing admirably at a crucial juncture.
During the win streak, New Orleans has won by an average of 21,3 points.
Before their 21-point win over the Clippers in the first game of a four-game road trip, the Pelicans had won by 10, 35, and 19 points. In each of their four wins, they scored at least 115 points.
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The Portland Trail Blazers dropped to.500 on the season after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 118-112.
After their eighth consecutive loss, Portland is now 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference and are in last place.
After missing his second game in a row with a calf injury, there is still speculation that the team may shut down Damian Lillard for the season.
The Trail Blazers are considering not playing Lillard for the rest of the season after he was sidelined with a calf injury. He won’t be able to play against the Pelicans on Monday.
This was discussed as a possibility just over a week ago, but now that Lillard is experiencing right calf soreness and the Blazers are 3.5 games out of the play-in race, it seems to make the most sense for both teams.
It’s highly unlikely that Lillard will suit up for any of the remaining nine games, even if the shutdown isn’t official.
An ankle injury forced Trendon Watford to leave the game in the first quarter, and he did not return. The same was true for Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, and Anfernee Simons.
It will be Jusuf Nurkic’s 15th game missed since the beginning of February, and he will likely miss the next three in a row. Due to the number of injuries in the Blazers’ frontcourt, Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford could see increased minutes on Monday.
The current Trail Blazers roster is struggling. They’ve lost five of their last seven games by at least 14 points. And New Orleans should cruise to a glass victory over Portland.
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Injury report Blazers
- Trendon Watford (Ankle) – Questionable
- Anfernee Simons (Foot) – Questionable
- Damian Lillard (Calf) – Questionable
- Jusuf Nurkic (Knee) – Questionable
- Jerami Grant (Quadriceps) – Questionable
- Ibou Badji (Knee) – Out
- Justise Winslow (Ankle) – Out
Injury report Pelicans
- Zion Williamson (Hamstring) – Out
- Jose Alvarado (Leg) – Out
- E.J. Liddell (Knee) – Out
