Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers will be playing against Julius Randle and the New York Knicks tonight. As we approach the final stretch of this season, the Blazers are struggling to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs. They currently hold a record of 31 wins and 37 losses, giving them the lowly 13th spot in the Western Conference.
On the other hand, the Knicks are doing somewhat better this season. Perhaps the recent addition of Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks has played a role in their success. The Knicks have a significantly better record when compared to the Blazers with 40 wins and 30 losses, placing them 6th in the East.
As both these teams get ready to face off, NBA fans must certainly want to know the injury reports and expected rosters for both sides. That will aid in making an expert prediction regarding the outcome of this game.
Damian Lillard is listed as questionable for the Portland Trail Blazers vs New York Knicks game tonight
Blazers fans will be disappointed to hear that Dame doesn’t look completely healthy for his team tonight against the Knicks. According to the injury report, he is listed as questionable due to a calf injury. Therefore, it is quite likely that he does not play in this game, which is sad considering the level that he has been playing at this season. In fact, he recently scored a whopping 71 points against the Houston Rockets.
Be that as it may, it can’t be helped if he does not play. His potential lack of availability will mean that his team has to step up and compete in his absence. That said, here are the injury reports and expected rosters for the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks.
Portland Trail Blazers injury report
- Damian Lillard (questionable)
- Jerami Grant (questionable)
- Ibou Badji (out)
- Justise Winslow (out)
Portland Trail Blazers expected roster
- Anfernee Simons
- Cam Reddish
- Nassir Little
- Matisse Thybulle
- Jusuf Nurkić
New York Knicks injury report
- Jalen Brunson (questionable)
New York Knicks expected roster
- RJ Barrett
- Josh Hart
- Immanuel Quickley
- Quentin Grimes
- Julius Randle
As we can tell, both Dame and Jermai Grant, the best players on the Blazers don’t look healthy for this game. Grant is going through a left quadricep contusion and is unlikely to play. Similarly, Jalen Brunson doesn’t look good to go for the Knicks tonight and might not suit up. Finally here are the expert predicitions for this game.
The Knicks are slightly favored over the Blazers tonight
This is expected to be a very close game that will go down to the wire. However, we have the Knicks coming out on top. They seem to be doing quite well this season and are coming off a win against the Lakers, whom several people feel are gaining momentum and becoming a good team after making trade moves.
It is never a smart move to bet against Damian Lillard. After all, he is regarded as one of the most clutch scores of this generation. However, the Blazers are struggling and on a three-game losing streak. Not having both Dame and Grant for their team will hurt Portland significantly more when compared to New York not having Brunson. The Knicks will be favored to win tonight and improve their impressive record furthermore.
Discussion about this post