The Portland center’s status has been updated ahead of the Blazers’ matchup with Memphis.
The Portland Trail Blazers kick off a quick three-game road trip on Friday with the first of two matchups with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Blazers center Deandre Ayton, who suffered a hand injury in Portland’s loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, has been ruled as doubtful by the team.
After the game, x-rays on Ayton’s hand were negative, according to Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. Further testing on Wednesday showed that the injury is a right-hand sprain and that Ayton will be treated as day-to-day moving forward.
Ayton will join Scoot Henderson, Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, and Robert Williams III on the injury report for the Blazers.
Notably, backup center Moses Brown, who has been out since early January after fracturing his wrist in the Blazers’ New Year’s Day game against the Phoenix Suns, is questionable for Friday’s game.
With the aforementioned guards all out for the Blazers, Ayton has stepped his game up considerably of late. Over his last 13 games, Ayton has averaged 18.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half against the Heat before being forced to depart.
There’s no clear timetable for Ayton’s return to the court for Portland. After Friday’s game at Memphis, the two teams turn around and play each other again on Saturday. After that, the Blazers depart for the Midwest to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
It may make sense for the Blazers to hold Ayton out for the brief road trip and aim for him to make his return at home on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Billups has said the Henderson already isn’t anticipated to play on the trip and hasn’t resumed on-court basketball activities at this point.
About the Author
Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting “The Pulse with Peter Sampson” in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer’s Edge and XRAY.FM – where his show “Blazer’s Edge Radio” was named “Portland’s Best Sports Radio” in the 2017 Willamette Week reader’s poll. When he’s not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.
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