Utah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - December 29th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Utah Jazz visit the Moda Center in Oregon to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Jazz taking on the Trail Blazers looks like a lopsided matchup as the two teams have been going in opposite directions this season. The 13-20 Portland Trail Blazers are the worst defensive team in the league and have lost eight of their last ten games. Meanwhile, the 24-9 Utah Jazz are ranked among the top 6 in both offensive and defensive ratings and have won 12 of their last 14 games.
The Utah Jazz have been dominant on both ends of the floor and are one of the top 3 teams in the West. Rudy Gobert is back in the DPOY conversation. He leads the league in rebounds and is second in blocks. Although they are one of the best teams in the NBA, they aren't getting any championship traction due to their disappointing postseason performances.
The Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are struggling. They aren't looking like a playoff team this season and recent trade rumors suggest that several players are on the trading block, including star guard CJ McCollum. They are seven games below .500 right now and sit as the 11th seed in the West.
Utah Jazz Injury Report
The Utah Jazz will be missing their best player Donovan Mitchell for this game because he strained his lower left back. Malik Fitts is listed as questionable due to a sprained right shoulder, while Udoka Azubuike remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
The Utah Jazz have surprisingly been unaffected by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases around the NBA. With hundreds of players now entering Health and Safety protocols across the league, the Jazz have none listed under them.
So, a quick thought on Jazz and COVID:
One way that the Jazz have been able to escape the absences most other teams have dealt with is because their entire team is vaccinated.
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
The Portland Trail Blazers have seven players in Health and Safety protocols, including Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic. Damian Lillard is back in the lineup but CJ McCollum is still out due to pneumothorax in his right lung.
The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to avoid a losing streak but the sheer number of players absent from their rotation and depth makes it seem inevitable.
Utah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers: Predicted Lineups
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz will likely replace Donovan Mitchell with Joe Ingles until the former returns and the rest of the lineup can remain the same. Mike Conley will run the point and Rudy Gobert will start at center as usual. Bojan Bogdanovic will play the small forward role and Royce O'Neale will retain his power forward position.
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Jordan Clarkson, will get the most minutes off the bench. He recently dropped a game-high 23 points in a win over the Spurs while playing more minutes than some starters.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard is the Portland Trail Blazers' superstar point guard and Norman Powell now starts in the backcourt with him. Tony Snell starts as the small forward while Nassir Little plays the power forward position until the team gets healthy. The center position will likely be taken up by Larry Nance Jr. as Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller will both be unavailable. Anfernee Simons and CJ Elleby received the most minutes off the bench in their last game.
Utah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers: Predicted Starting 5s
Utah Jazz
G - Mike Conley | G - Joe Ingles | F - Bojan Bogdanovic | F - Royce O'Neale | C - Rudy Gobert.
Portland Trail Blazers
G - Damian Lillard | G - Norman Powell | F - Tony Snell | F - Nassir Little | C - Larry Nance Jr.