The Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in a 0-2 hole in the first round of the playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans, who came into the postseason as the underdogs in this series. The Blazers might have to avoid falling behind 0-3 this Thursday minus small forward Evan Turner.
According to the Blazers’ official Twitter account, the second-overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft is questionable to suit up in Game 3 because of a foot problem.
Evan Turner @thekidet is questionable for Game 3 with a toe contusion
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 18, 2018
In case Turner gets eventually ruled out for Game 3, it would not sound that big of a loss for Portland, considering how bad the guard-forward hybrid has played in Game 2 in which he failed to record a point, missing all his six shot attempts from the field. That said, he did contribute five assists and four rebounds in 20 minutes before leaving the contest in the third quarter due to the toe injury.
Assuming Evan Turner would sit out Game 3, the Blazers will likely plug Maurice Harkless into the starting lineup a game after returning from a long absence due to a knee issue. Harkless had 11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting display off the bench in Game 2.
Apart from Turner, the Blazers also saw center Jusuf Nurkic suffer a left leg contusion also in Game 2. There have been no updates so far on Nurkic’s status for Game 3, but the lack thereof suggests he is expected to give it a go Thursday in New Orleans, where the Blazers are just 4-6 in their last 10 visits there.
The Blazers are shooting just 41.3 percent from the field so far in these playoffs.
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