The Charlotte Hornets' chances of beating the Portland Trail Blazers dropped significantly the moment the team's final injury report came out, which revealed th

LaMelo Ball received an important injury update ahead of the Hornets' game on Friday night against the Trail Blazers.

Portland is playing their best basketball of the season. Winners of three in a row, the Blazers are led by Anfernee Simons who is averaging 18.2ppg and Shaedon Sharpe contributing 17.7ppg. Scoot Henderson is improving by the game. The 2 nd -year pro is dishing out 5.3 assists per game and scoring 12.3 points nightly while shooting 35% from deep.

Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan is listed as probable ahead of Friday night’s game at the Charlotte Hornets after missing five games with a left ankle injury. This is an extremely positive development for the Blazers, who will be without starting center Deandre Ayton (knee) and backup Robert Williams III (right hand soreness).

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However, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Kris Murray, and Anfernee Simons, the Trail Blazers' leading scorer, are all expected to play tonight. Clingan, Portland's first-round pick (7th overall in 2024), was sidelined for the past five games due to an ankle injury.

While some may be ancy to back LaMelo Ball's scoring output against Portland, Douglas Farmer breaks down why that isn’t the best approach ahead of tonight's clash in Charlotte.

In this new trade idea, the Hornets make a deal to land a former first-overall pick to add to their young core. The deal would be between the Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Indiana Pacers, landing Deandre Ayton in Charlotte. After using the Spotrac trade machine, here is what a deal could look like between the teams:

On Friday evening, the Charlotte Hornets will host the Portland Trail Blazers in North Carolina. For the game, the Hornets could be without their best player,

The NBA season continues, and we have a tilt between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Trail Blazers-Hornets prediction and pick.

Anfernee Simons scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, Jerami Grant added 22 points and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 102-97 on Friday night for their fourth straight win.