Shaedon Sharpe and Vit Krejci are both listed as questionable.
The Portland Trail Blazers have their most important game of the season on Friday night against the LA Clippers, effectively a contest that will determine who lands the No. 8 seed entering the play-in tournament and which team gets the easier path to making the actual playoffs. What is promising for the Blazers is that two key players who were upgraded on the injury report Thursday ahead of the game, Shaedon Sharpe and Vit Krejci, were both listed as questionable for the team’s biggest game of the year.
Sharpe has emerged as one of Portland’s top offensive weapons this season, averaging 21.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, while Krejci has given the Blazers helpful size and versatility on the wing with 7.4 points per game and floor spacing.
Portland enters Friday one game behind LA for the No. 8 spot, and a win would keep that path alive heading into Sunday.
Now, there is no guarantee that either of them ends up playing, but the fact that both are getting closer matters. Even if they do not suit up Friday night, it could still signal that they are trending toward being ready for the play-in tournament, which would be meaningful no matter what seed the Blazers end up with.
Sharpe has missed 27 games with a left fibula stress reaction, while Krejci has missed 12 straight with a left calf contusion, so getting either one back at this stage would be a real boost for Portland’s depth and lineup flexibility.
Friday’s contest is the most consequential game of the year for Portland. It is the biggest game of several Blazers players’ NBA careers to this point, and it should have a real playoff feel from the opening tip.
Can the Blazers put a strong close to the season together and put themselves in a position to compete in the playoffs?