Are the Portland Trail Blazers on the verge of getting their starting point guard back?
Veteran Jrue Holiday has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the New York Knicks at the Moda Center, indicating he is inching closer to a return to the lineup.
Holiday, acquired in an offseason trade from the Boston Celtics, has missed more than eight weeks — a span of 27 games — with a right calf strain. He last played on Nov. 14, when he recorded 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in a lopsided loss at the Houston Rockets.
At the time of his injury, the Blazers said Holiday would be re-evaluated in one to two weeks, suggesting his absence would be brief. But soft tissue injuries can be unpredictable and the 35-year-old two-time All-Star’s ailment has lingered longer than initially expected.
He’s been at the forefront of a rash of injuries for Portland, which has seen 11 players miss a combined 213 games this season. The Blazers haven’t played with a traditional point guard since Holiday was sidelined.
They sorely missed Holiday’s defense, playmaking and leadership over the first six weeks of his absence, during which they stumbled to a 6-12 record without him in the starting lineup. But the Blazers (19-20) have surged since Dec. 28, reeling off seven wins over their last eight games, and they bring the NBA’s longest-active winning streak — five games — into Sunday’s matchup against the Knicks (24-14).
Holiday is averaging 16.7 points, 8.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 44.6% from the field, including 36.5% from three-point range.