The Portland Trail Blazers received bittersweet news with the injury updates to All-Star point guard Damian Lillard and starting forward Jerami Grant on Friday.
With the Blazers set to take on the Boston Celtics tonight, the NBA's official injury report initially listed Lillard as probable and Grant as questionable. It was revealed right before tipoff, however, that Lillard has been upgraded to available, while Grant has been ruled out.
Lillard, experiencing tightness in his right calf, played 39 minutes against the New York Knicks in Portland's previous matchup. Having one of the most memorable seasons of his stellar career, Lillard posted 38 points and seven assists against the Knicks, continuing to keep the Blazers' engines running.
The seven-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 32.3 points per game this season. Even if that wasn't the primary reason that Portland needs him on the court against the Celtics, the defensive-minded trio of guards Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon are, as it could be difficult for the Blazers to get going without Dame.
Grant, who has a left quad contusion, did not play in Portland's loss to New York on Tuesday.
The veteran has also had one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 20.5 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and a career-high 40.1 percent from 3-point range. The combo forward not only plays an integral role for the Blazers offensively, but is one of the teams more reliable and versatile defenders, a factor that's helped Portland improve their record from 27-55 last season to 31-38 this season with 13 games remaining on the schedule.
Though Portland is currently 13th in the Western Conference, only 5.5 games separate them from the 5th-place Los Angeles Clippers.
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