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The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in a blockbuster NBA matchup on Wednesday.
Despite being top of the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz were the latest side to succumb to a masterclass from Stephen Curry on Monday night. The point guard scored 36 points and took advantage of the fact that the Jazz were missing their regular backcourt pairing of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. Nevertheless, Quin Snyder's men will head into this matchup having won five of their previous six games.
The Portland Trail Blazers, on the other hand, are on a mission to avoid the NBA play-in tournament. They have won eight of their last ten games, including their last four fixtures in a row. They will arrive in Utah with the second-most prolific offense in the league (during that stretch).
Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz Injury Report
Portland Trail Blazers
If the Portland Trail Blazers had been healthy all season, who knows where they could have ended up. Nevertheless, they have battled hard, and it looks like they will earn the sixth seed in the West and avoid the play-in tournament this year.
The Trail Blazers' current injury report looks better, with forward Nassir Little the only recent addition after leaving the game against the Houston Rockets on Monday with back spasms. Veteran Carmelo Anthony is still listed as questionable at the time of writing, having missed the last two games due to a sprained ankle.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz have been more unfortunate with injuries recently, though they have been able to hold onto the top seed in the West.
Joe Ingles and Royce O'Neale have been regular starters on the backcourt while Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell were sidelined.
Conley has missed their last eight games and will be questionable for this encounter, while Mitchell will be re-assessed next week for his ankle injury.
Reserve forward Juwan Morgan is also expected to be sidelined.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz Predicted Lineups
Portland Trail Blazers
Coach Terry Stotts is expected to stick to his winning formula on Wednesday and will likely start the same starting lineup that won the last three games.
The Portland Trail Blazers backcourt pairing have been critical to their recent success. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 62 points in their last fixture and have racked up more than 50 points between them in five of their last six games.
On the frontcourt, Stotts has traded out Norman Powell for Derrick Jones Jr. on occasion. However, Powell has been the most consistent partner for Robert Covington as a small forward and has averaged 17.6 points in his last ten matchups.
Jusuf Nurkic completes the Trail Blazers lineup and is another player who has been hugely effective in their recent run. The 26-year-old center has averaged 14.7 points and 10.8 rebounds over their previous ten games and has shot the ball at 56.8% from the field.
Utah Jazz
Jordan Clarkson has been an electric player off the bench for the Utah Jazz and will likely help Joe Ingles and Royce O'Neale in the backcourt on Wednesday. Clarkson scored a staggering 41 points on Monday, though that was still not enough to overcome the Golden State Warriors.
Bojan Bogdanovic has also been prolific from the field on the frontcourt and has helped carry the Utah Jazz in the absence of Mitchell and Conley. The 32-year-old was named Western Conference Player of the Week last week and averaged 28.8 points over his last five games. During that time, he also shot at over 50% from the field and from downtown.
The Jazz's lineup will most likely be completed with Georges Niang and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz Predicted Starting 5s
Portland Trail Blazers
Point Guard - Damian Lillard l Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum l Small Forward - Norman Powell l Power Forward - Robert Covington l Center - Jusuf Nurkic.
Utah Jazz
Point Guard - Joe Ingles l Shooting Guard - Royce O'Neale l Small Forward - Bojan Bogdanovic l Power Forward - Georges Niang l Center - Rudy Gobert.
