Blazers News: Final Injury Status Revealed on Critical Wings vs Spurs

Portland is in desperate need of a win.

Oct 11, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard EJ Harkless (15) shoots the ball over Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Sporting a paltry 9-18 record thus far this season (and having dropped eight of their last 10 bouts), the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in desperate need of a win.

At least, the team's coaches and players are likely desperate for a win. Their front office, now led by Joe Cronin, is looking for the Trail Blazers to pile on the losses and fall into the NBA's lottery for a fourth consecutive season, with the hopes that the club can land a superstar in the 2025 NBA Draft.

All three of the club's last three lottery selections — shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe in 2022, point guard Scoot Henderson in 2023, and center Donovan Clingan this past June — hold plenty of intrigue, still, but it'd be early to mark any of them for superstardom at this juncture.

Still, Portland head coach Chauncey Billups and his shockingly healthy squad are hoping to nab their second straight victory, following a buzzer-beating upset against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

They just might get that W on Saturday night, when they'll face off against another team beyond the Western Conference's play-in standings, the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio may slot into the West's No. 11 seed as of this writing, but the 14-13 club is just 1.5 games behind the No. 5-seeded L.A. Clippers, and four games clear of the No. 13-seeded Trail Blazers.

According to the league's latest injury report, all three of the Trail Blazers' two-way signings — small forward Justin Minaya, shooting guard Taze Moore and shooting guard Bryce McGowens — are with Portland's G League affiliate squad, the Rip City Remix.

Most importantly, however, Portland will be without a pair of key reserve wings. The absence of former two-time All-Defensive Team wing Matisse Thybulle (right ankle sprain) had previously been announced, but small forward Dalanto Banton has seen his status downgraded from questionable to on the shelf as he grapples with a left hip contusion.

Thybulle has been out all year but could return within the next few weeks. Banton's absence would resonate more in the club's current rotation, as he's been an imperative two-way force off the bench for Billups.

All 15 of the Spurs' standard roster signings are available on Saturday, but San Antonio opted to send all three of its two-way players — combo guard David Duke Jr., small forward Harrison Ingram, and small forward Riley Minix — to their NBAGL sister squad, the Austin Spurs.

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