Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - December 21st, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Portland Trail Blazers are set to end their short two-game road trip against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center. The Blazers are finally out of their slump and on a two-game winning streak. The Pelicans have also won two in a row as both teams face each other for the first time this season.

The Blazers are coming off their second road win of the season, beating the red hot Memphis Grizzlies 105-100. It has been a struggle for Portland over the past several weeks, but Damian Lillard has exploded in his last two games. Portland's main man continues to get his rhythm back after a tough start to the season.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans defeated defending champions Milwaukee Bucks 116-112 in overtime last Friday. It was their second win in a row and tenth overall. However, the Pelicans are still last in the Western Conference standings.

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Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report

Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers have three players on their injury report against the New Orleans Pelicans. Two players are listed as out, while one is listed as questionable. Damian Lillard is listed as questionable due to right hamstring tightness.

It's a new injury for Lillard, who has been hampered by an abdomen injury since the offseason. It's possible that Dame could miss the game, but he has been a trooper all season and hates missing games despite having a minor injury.

The two players listed as out are CJ McCollum and Cody Zeller. McCollum is still recovering from a collapsed right lung or pneumothorax, while Zeller has a fractured right patellar or kneecap. Both players are expected to continue missing time.

Player	Status	Reason
Damian Lillard	Questionable	Right Hamstring Tightness
CJ McCollum	Out	Right Lung Pneumothorax
Cody Zeller	Out	Right Patellar Fracture

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New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.

The New Orleans Pelicans have five players on their injury list for Tuesday's matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. All five players are listed as out, but only three are nursing injuries. Jose Alvarado is currently assigned to the NBA G League, while Didi Louzada continues to serve his suspension.

Daulton Hommes has a stress fracture in his right fibula, while Kira Lewis Jr. has a right knee sprain. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson is still recovering from right foot fracture surgery. Williamson's progress has slowed down and there's no current timetable for his return this season.

Player	Status	Reason
Jose Alvarado	Out	G League Assignment
Daulton Hommes	Out	Right Fibular Stress Fracture
Kira Lewis Jr.	Out	Right Knee Sprain
Didi Louzada	Out	League Suspension
Zion Williamson	Out	Right Foot Fracture

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Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans: Predicted Lineups

Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans.

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Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers continue to cope up with the absence of CJ McCollum by having Norman Powell start at shooting guard. Joining him on the backcourt is Damian Lillard, who could miss the game against the New Orleans Pelicans and be replaced by Anfernee Simons in the starting lineup.

Completing the starting five are Nassir Little, Larry Nance Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic. Nance has taken over the power forward position, with Robert Covington now coming off the bench. The remaining Blazers players in the rotation are Ben McLemore and Trendon Watford.

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New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the few teams without a case of coronavirus infections. They will have Devonte' Graham at point guard and Josh Hart at shooting guard against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Brandon Ingram is the small forward, while Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas complete the frontcourt. The rest of the Pelicans rotation includes Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple and Willy Hernangomez.

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Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans: Starting 5s

Portland Trail Blazers

Point Guard - Damian Lillard | Shooting Guard - Norman Powell | Small Forward - Nassir Little | Power Forward - Larry Nance Jr. | Center - Jusuf Nurkic

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New Orleans Pelicans

Point Guard - Devonte' Graham | Shooting Guard - Josh Hart | Small Forward - Brandon Ingram | Power Forward - Herb Jones | Center - Jonas Valanciunas