The Portland Trail Blazers host the Toronto Raptors tonight at 10 p.m. EST. However, the home team may have its work cut out for them given recent injury news.
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is listed as doubtful for Friday’s contest with a back strain, per the NBA’s official injury report.
If Avdija doesn’t play tonight, the Trail Blazers will likely elevate Sidy Cissoko into the starting lineup in his place. The forward saw three starts last time his star teammate missed time between January 13 and 17.
Avdija, 25 years old, is in the midst of his best campaign yet and likely en route to his first All-Star appearance. The 6-foot-8 forward averages a career-best 26.0 points and 6.9 assists per game this season, also tacking on 7.1 rebounds. While he did recently miss a few games with a similar back issue, Avdija is on a real hot streak with 29.0 PPG in eight games this month, garnering a significant usage rate of 32.9%.
The Trail Blazers are 23-22 on the campaign, ninth in the Western Conference. They enter as 3.5-point underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook at home tonight against the Raptors.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
