The Portland Trail Blazers have lost another starter.
Center Donovan Clingan has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with an illness, leaving the shorthanded Blazers without another key part of their rotation.
Interim coach Tiago Splitter refused to divulge who will take Clingan’s place in the starting lineup, but he has two clear options if he elects to go with a traditional center: Veteran Rob Williams III and rookie Yang Hansen.
Clingan, who is averaging a double-double (10.2 points, 10.0 rebounds) this season, has played some of the best basketball of his two-year career this month. Over the last seven games, he’s averaging 13.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, while shooting 52% from the field.
Along the way, he’s been the interior anchor of a Blazers defense that ranks sixth in forcing turnovers (16.3 per game), ninth in points off turnovers (19.7) and deflections (18.3).
The Blazers have played most of November without multiple key pieces of the rotation, including all three of their point guards. Jrue Holiday (right calf strain) hasn’t played since Nov. 14, backup guards Blake Wesley (right foot fracture) and Matisse Thybulle (left thumb) haven’t played since late October and Shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe just returned on Wednesday after missing four games with a right calf strain.