The Portland Trail Blazers will be without the services of Skal Labissiere for their upcoming five-game road trip, as the Haitian big man is dealing with inflammation in his left knee.
MRI scans that were taken on Labissiere’s knee came back “inconclusive,” according to an official report from the team. He’ll miss Monday night’s home game against the Phoenix Suns, as well as the games within Portland’s five-game trip. Additional evaluation is expected to be done once the swelling in his knee has gone down a bit.
With Labissiere ruled out for the Blazers, Anthony Tolliver and Nassir Little will likely see upticks in their usage rates. Mario Hezonja has missed two games with a lower back issue and is currently listed as questionable.
Labissiere’s ailment is tough news for the Blazers, as they’ve dealt with several front-court injuries this season. He left during the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Lakers and did not return.
Skal has made 33 appearances with the Blazers this season (one start), racking up averages of 5.8 points on 55.1 percent shooting from the field, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and just under one block (0.9) in 17.2 minutes per outing.
Monday night’s Blazers-Suns matchup is scheduled to tip inside the Moda Center at 10:00 p.m. ET, with NBA TV having live broadcast coverage. Portland (14-19) will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak, while the Suns have lost eight of their last ten.