Portland Trail Blazers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Portland Trail Blazers forwardJerami Grant(face) will remain sidelined for a sixth consecutive game on Thursday versus the Dallas Mavericks. He has yet to recover from a facial contusion.Deni Avdija joined the starting five while Grant was missing in action. Kris Murray has also seen an uptick in minutes when the 30-year-old has been out. Murray registered six points and one rebound across 21 minutes in a 119-100 loss to New Orleans on Wednesday.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (wrist) may sit out his first game of the season on Wednesday against New Orleans, as the team has listed him as questionable on the injury report. Avdija, who has recently been a starter due to Jerami Grant's (face) absence, has suffered a right wrist sprain. Kris Murray has already started to play more because of Grant's injury, and Avdija's exit from the lineup would further boost his fantasy stock. Rayan Rupert and Dalano Banton might also receive more playing time Wednesday night.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (face) will remain on the shelf for a fifth consecutive game on Wednesday against New Orleans. He has yet to recover from a facial contusion. Deni Avdija (wrist) has joined the starting five during Grant's absence but might also exit the lineup on Wednesday, as Portland has listed him as questionable on the injury report. Murray has received an uptick in minutes with Grant missing, and he may now find himself as a starter if Avdija also can't play on Wednesday. The 24-year-old finished his rookie campaign as a starter in Portland last season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the first unit.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (rest) is available ahead of Monday's game against the Detroit Pistons. As expected, Ayton will suit up for this game after being listed as probable coming into this contest. The expectation is that Ayton will have his normal role in the rotation. Ayton has produced four double-doubles over his last eight games. When healthy, Ayton has been a reliable contributor, but keeping him on the court has been the biggest problem. Donovan Clingan figures to continue serving as the primary backup which is usually only minutes in the teens.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (face) will miss his fourth game due to a face contusion on Monday. He was ruled out against the Detroit Pistons quite early, so it's unclear how much more time he'll have to miss. His next chance to play will be Wednesday against the Pelicans. In the meantime, Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe will continue to get some extra time in the starting five with Kris Murray seeing more opportunities off of the bench. Camara has been enjoying a solid three-game stretch with averages of 15.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.