Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - November 29th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Utah Jazz host the Portland Trail Blazers at Vivint Arena on Monday. The division rivals will lock horns four times this season and the Jazz are expected to get the better of this season series.

The Jazz are coming off a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans after blowing the lead against them in their previous game. They lost 98-97 on Friday after a game-winning three-pointer by Devonte' Graham. But it wasn't just the game-winner that led to the loss. Utah's lackadaisical effort on defense and careless turnovers were also huge factors. They redeemed themselves in their second meeting of a back-to-back, blowing out the Pelicans 127-105.

The Portland Trail Blazers meanwhile, are in the midst of another mediocre campaign. They are 10-10 through their first 20 games and have lost to inferior teams like the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers. Damian Lillard has had an abysmal start to his season, shooting just 29% from three-point range. The front office made no significant improvements to the squad and analysts predict another underwhelming season. If they continue at this rate and the team doesn't turn things around, the Portland Trail Blazers could find themselves in the NBA play-in tournament.

Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report

Norman Powell with the Portland Trail Blazers [Source: The Oregonian]

Portland's struggles are even more alarming when you realize that they don't really have any significant injuries. Unlike other teams such as the LA Clippers (Kawhi Leonard), Denver Nuggets (Jamal Murray) and Golden State Warriors (Klay Thompson) who are missing key pieces, the Trail Blazers have no excuse for their subpar start to the season.

Norman Powell is the only player on the injury report for tonight's game. He is suffering from a contusion in his right quadriceps. Powell played 26 minutes in the Trail Blazers' last outing against the Golden State Warriors and suffered the injury in the second half of the game.

Player Name:	Status:	Reason:
Norman Powell	Out	Right Quadriceps Contusion

Utah Jazz Injury Report

Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz warms up pregame

The Utah Jazz have largely been healthy this season. Royce O'Neale will be listed as questionable for the game due to a right foot and ankle sprain. He has played in every game of the season except their last outing against the Pelicans.

Player Name:	Status:	Reason:
Udoka Azubuike	Out	Right Ankle Injury
Royce O'Neale	Questionable	Right Foot/Ankle Injury

Moreover, Udoka Azubuike is ruled out of the game due to a right ankle injury. He was sent to the Utah Jazz's G-League affiliate, Salt Lake City Stars, on assignment and suffered a gruesome injury in their game against the Stockton Kings.

Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz: Predicted Lineups

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers will feature an altered lineup against the Jazz due to the absence of Norman Powell. Damian Lillard will start as the point guard as usual with CJ McCollum joining him in the backcourt. Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic will retain their usual positions of power forward and center respectively.

As for the small forward position, Coach Chauncey Billups can simply replace Powell with either Nassir Little or Tony Snell. However, if the team wishes to feature a lineup with more shooting and spacing, Anfernee Simons can play the shooting guard role and CJ McCollum can shift to the small forward position.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz will feature the same lineup from their last game if Royce O'Neale doesn't lace up. Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell should form a solid backcourt with Conley running point. Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert will retain their roles of small forward and center respectively. Joe Ingles started in their last game in place of O'Neale and it worked wonders so coach Quin Snyder can do the same in this matchup. If O'Neale does play, he'll take his usual power forward spot. Jordan Clarkson is their bonafide Sixth Man who gets the most minutes off the bench.

Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz: Predicted Starting 5s

Portland Trail Blazers

G - Damian Lillard | G - CJ McCollum | F - Nassir Little | F - Robert Covington | C - Jusuf Nurkic.

Utah Jazz

G - Mike Conley | G - Donovan Mitchell | F - Bojan Bogdanovic | F - Joe Ingles | C - Rudy Gobert.