Clippers Injury Report: LA Sweats Over 2 Key Players’ Fitness Before the Blazers Game

THE Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers will meet tonight in the first of their two-game series at the Moda Center, at 10 p.m. ET. The Clippers (42-25) are currently reeling from 4 out of 5 losses in the last few games, which of course raises questions and eyebrows. Of the 4 losses, 3 were against the Timberwolves, Bucks and Pelicans. However, the most recent one was against the Hawks, who are surprisingly a team that the Trail Blazers beat a week ago.

On the other hand, the Trail Blazers will have home court advantage when playing against the Clippers. However, their recent road trip did not produce satisfactory results, with their last loss coming against the Bulls, 110-107. However, the Clippers could well win tonight since Portland is a little short on personnel.

Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Clippers – Injury Report

The Clippers enter tonight’s clash with the status of two of its players under a cloud. They will play without Terance Mann, who is listed as “probable” due to his shoulder injury. And then, on the flip side, Norman Powell is also listed as “questionable” due to a lower leg injury. Even though the team has struggled this month with a 6-4 win-loss ratio, they need to win this one to advance this season. So even though Mann and Powell won’t play, they can still count on the abilities of their trio of superstars.

On the other hand, the Blazers will be without Malcolm Brogdon, “absent” due to an elbow injury, then Matisse Thybulle (ankle) and Jerami Grant (hamstring) are respectively “questionable” and “doubtful”. Jerami has missed 7 of the last 9 games with hamstring and right quad injuries.

The Clippers’ identity crisis

It’s extremely difficult to imagine the Clips going through an “identity crisis.” This is the recent trend that analysts and fans feel like they are experiencing right now. They have the right amount of talent and experience. But the team’s major problem is that they are not living up to their potential, as has been evident in the last few games. There are nights when Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Paul George become “beasts” in their games, and then some nights they slip up.

Defensively, they are doing well at the moment, averaging 113.6 points per game. Might as well find a solution tonight with their offense against the Blazers, who are 22nd in the defensive rankings, then in the bottom 10 in the entire league. Despite the absence of Powell and Mann, they might as well rely on the remaining trio of stars to pull out the win. Harden and George will have to do something to succeed tonight. But then again, with Russell Westbrook’s injury, of course, their recent slowdown is understandable.

The Clippers have a star-studded roster, with former second-round pick Ivica Zubac also needing to step up his game. He’s averaging 8.4 points and shooting 65 percent from the field, but he needs to work on his rebounding to sustain the trio and achieve a thunderous victory.

After this game, the Blazers will mobilize to host the defending champions, the Nuggets, on Saturday before leaving for their 7-game road trip. Stay tuned for more updates on the Clippers vs Blazers showdown!

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