Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Injuries, how to watch

Q: What do you get when two injured teams play a basketball game?

ONE: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies!

Portland Trail Blazers (7-10) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (10-7) – Mon. November 25 – 5:00 PM Pacific

How to watch via antenna or cable: See yours opportunities on the Rip City Television Network

How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else

SBN affiliate: Peachtree Hoops

Trail Blazers Injuries: Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray (doubtful); Donovan Clingan, Deandre Ayton, Matisse Thybulle, Bryce McGowens (out)

Grizzlies injuries: Yes Morant (EDIT: Upgraded to questionable); GG Jackson, Zach Edey, Vince Williams Jr. (out)

As the Blazers’ injury report begins to look like a CVS receipt, they get an opponent arguably even MORE injured, with star Ja Morant benched along with starter GG Jackson and starter-adjacent Zach Edey.

EDIT: Morant is now listed as questionable for tonight’s game.

What to look for:

centers. Do the Blazers want someone? Will the Grizzlies? All kidding aside, it will be interesting to see how Robert Williams III looks in what will likely be his first start of the season with both Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan out. Duop Reath also gets extended play, and while we saw Deni Advija be effective in his brief stint guarding Rockets big Alperen Sengun down the stretch of the Blazers’ close win, I’m not sure Billups is itching to do Advija to play center more than he should.

About the opponent:

Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote about how Scotty Pippen Jr. (yes, he spells his first name differently than his father) scored 30 points against the Chicago Bulls and why it was special for Pippen:

He finished with 30 points and 10 assists in one 142-131 win against the Bulls. Pippen’s performance was just what the Grizzlies needed. Point guard depth is currently thin with Ja Morant and Marcus Smart both sidelined with injuries. Desmond Bane also had an exceptional night, finishing with 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting. Pippen’s 30 points were a career high; he went 13-for-16, including three made 3-pointers. The performance took place with a number of Pippen’s family members in the city where his father won six NBA championships. “It’s definitely a special place to play,” Scotty Pippen Jr. said. in a postgame interview with FanDuel Sports Network. “Seeing my dad’s name up here, I’ve been dreaming of this moment. It’s a dream come true to finally be able to play here.”

Kelly Iko and Danny Leroux of The Athletic (subscription required) talked about trade targets for teams around the league, including for Memphis:

Iko: I look at players like Brandon Clarke and Luke Kennard (making about $21 million combined) and wondering if there is a consolidation trade that gives them some ball handling and shooting help. Or are they too scared to make any moves right now?

Leroux: The Williams news is disappointing considering how he stepped into a valuable role with the Grizzlies last season and absolutely could have done the same with them at full strength this year, but hopefully he’ll be back 100 percent by the end of 2024. I would encourage Zach Kleiman and company to be conservative with trades in the immediate term and instead focus on what makes the most sense with a healthy version of the team because the hope is that they can find that when we get closer to April… If there is someone who fits well with Morant, Bane and Jackson or fits a valuable bench role, they can and should consider this addition, but consolidation trades are notoriously rare because they require a trade partner who appreciate these many players high and also don’t need the superior player they send out.