Portland

Trail Blazers

Hansen made his first career start against the Grizzlies on Sunday with Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams sidelined. Clingan has already been ruled out for Thursday while Williams, who is questionable with an illness, should return. It’s likely Wlliams will start over Hansen, but he should still play significant minutes off the bench.

Williams missed Saturday’s game with an illness, but despite his questionable listing seems on track to play in Thursday’s game against the Pelicans. The 28-year-old center returned to a full practice on Tuesday. With Williams back, Yang Hansen will likely move to the bench and Duop Reath will see fewer minutes.

Clingan is set to miss his third game in a row with a leg injury. This isn’t much of a surprise as the 21-year-old center wasn’t able to fully participate in Tuesday’s practice. With Clingan out again, expect Robert Williams to start.

It appears all three Trail Blazers are still a ways away from returning to the floor. Scoot has yet to suit up this season, while Holiday has been out almost a month and Thybulle hasn’t played since October. Portland has made it work without Scoot and Jrue by starting Sidy Cissoko and putting the ball in Deni Avdija’s hands, though the return of either would help this rotation tremendously.

Clingan has missed Portland’s last two games, which has allowed Robert Williams and Yang Hansen to each start a game, with Duop Reath filling out the backup minutes in both. Williams should be back to play on Thursday, so he will likely start if Clingan is sidelined again.

Williams missed Sunday’s game with an illness, but he was able to practice in full. That implies he’ll be able to return for Thursday’s game against New Orleans, though the official injury report will have to confirm that. His return will take away from Duop Reath and Yang Hansen’s minutes regardless of Donovan Clingan’s (leg) status.

Grant was one of the few bright spots for the Trail Blazers in this one as he still managed to eclipse the 20-point threshold despite shooting just 31 percent from the floor, including 2-of-8 from three-point range. He did most of his damage at the charity stripe, knocking down 9-of-10 from the line. The 31-year-old forward has been hot of late, averaging 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks over his last four games. Portland has a light two-game week on tap with matchups against the Pelicans and Warriors.

Avdija has been excellent over the past two weeks, averaging 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks over a seven-game span during that timeframe, delivering fourth-round fantasy value in the process. The 24-year-old got to the line just three times in this one after recording double-digit free throw attempts in each of his previous five games. Despite his recent hot streak, Portland has lost five of its last six and 10 of their last 13 overall.

The Trail Blazers are without their top two centers for Sunday’s game, as Donovan Clingan (leg) and Robert Williams (illness) are inactive. As a result, Yang will make his first start as an NBA player. While the opportunity is a good one for the rookie, matching up with Zach Edey will not be easy. The other four starters are unchanged.

Added to the injury report Sunday afternoon, Williams will not be able to play. With Donovan Clingan (leg) also out, the Trail Blazers will be without their top two centers. Duop Reath and Yang Hansen will have to do the heavy lifting in Memphis.