Portland Trail Blazers vs Memphis Grizzlies: preview and player stats

Head coach Micah Nori said Morant met with a doctor in Los Angeles, who gave him a positive outlook on his recovery from the hamstring injury. While Nori declined to update Morant's timetable, he added Morant "may not be out for as long as we thought," Trail Blazers Insider Sean Highkin reports. Morant was initially given a four-week timetable after he suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on Oct. 30. It sounds like he's making solid progress, though it would be surprising to see him beat that timetable given the tricky nature of hamstring injuries. Scoot Henderson will continue to start in his absence and there will be more minutes available for Jrue Holiday.

Sharpe suffered a torn meniscus in his knee and is expected to miss six months, per Shams Charania of ESPN. It's a tough blow to the Trail Blazers' depth on the wing ahead of training camp. Sharpe, who is now likely to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, had been ticketed for a reserve role behind Toumani Camara following an injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign, which saw average a career-high 20.8 points, 1.4 steals and 2.1 three-pointers per game over 50 regular-season appearances. The door is now open for Vit Krejci and Jeremy Sochan to compete for bench minutes during camp.

Krejci underwent surgery on his fractured left ankle Wednesday and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports. Krejci suffered the ankle injury in last Wednesday's win over the Suns and is set to miss an extended period after undergoing surgery. With the 26-year-old and Ja Morant (hamstring) both on the shelf, Jrue Holiday and Sidy Cissoko should continue seeing increased minutes.

Youngblood has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Thunder. Youngblood came down awkwardly following a fastbreak layup attempt at the start of the fourth quarter and didn't return. He's recently carved out a role in Portland, averaging 14.8 minutes per game over the past five games, so in his absence, Sidy Cissoko and Scoot Henderson are candidates for increased roles.

Pippen (back) remains out for Wednesday's game against Denver, Michael Wallace of the Grizzlies' official site reports. With Pippen set to miss another game, Memphis will continue to operate without one of its backcourt reserves. He has now been sidelined for six straight contests due to the back issue and can be considered week-to-week until Memphis offers an update on his recovery. Cam Spencer remains worth streaming in most fantasy leagues.

Post (concussion) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Nuggets. Post suffered a concussion during Monday's 118-102 win over the Raptors, and now he will have to clear a series of steps before he's allowed to return to the court. Taylor Hendricks will help pick up the slack while Post is sidelined.

Saunders signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on Saturday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. Saunders is still on the mend from a torn right ACL that he suffered during his final year at BYU. However, he has been cleared for on-court activities and will be allowed to practice with the Grizzlies now that he's officially signed with the team.