The injury status of two key Portland Trail Blazers players has been upgraded ahead of Thursday night’s game at the Moda Center.
Deni Avdija (lower back soreness) is listed as doubtful, while Jerami Grant (left Achilles tendonitis) is questionable for the Blazers’ 7 p.m. matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
Avdija tweaked his back Sunday in the waning minutes of a loss to the New York Knicks, which forced him to sit out the Blazers’ Tuesday night visit to the Golden State Warriors. It was the first game the budding star has missed this season and the Blazers (19-22) were a shell of themselves without him, falling 119-97 at Chase Center.
Avdija, who is averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, has been the engine driving the shorthanded Blazers through a season of injuries. He’s the only player in the NBA that ranks among the top seven in both points (1,043) and assists (276) this season and finished seventh on the most recent ballot of fan voting for the Western Conference All-Star team.
Grant, meanwhile, appears to be inching closer to a return after missing the last 14 games with left Achilles pain. The veteran forward is averaging 20.0 points and 4.0 assists and leads the Blazers’ regulars in three-point shooting (38.9%).
Grant has not played since Dec. 18 against the Sacramento Kings, but was upgraded to doubtful before the Blazers’ matchup at Golden State and then elevated to questionable versus the Hawks.
As they cross the midway point of the season, injuries have been one of the defining stories of the season, as 12 different players have combined to miss 226 games. The injury list includes nine of the 10 players in the opening night rotation and four of five starters.