Portland Trail Blazers vs Cleveland Cavaliers: preview and player stats (Mar 4, 2027)

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 (foot) is out for Friday's game against Sacramento. Youngblood is in line for a second straight absence due to a bone bruise in his right foot. His next opportunity to run the floor will arrive Monday in Minnesota.

Mobley (toe) is out for Friday's game against the Heat. The star big man took a hard fall late in Wednesday's win over the Knicks, and he's missing his first contest of the season Friday with a sprained toe. With Mobley sidelined, Jaylon Tyson, Meleek Thomas and Mario Hezonja are each viable streaming options.

Merrill (elbow) is listed as out for Wednesday's game against the Knicks. Merrill has battled a lingering elbow issue since the preseason. He will now miss a third consecutive contest, with his next opportunity to suit up coming Friday in Miami. While Merrill is sidelined, Craig Porter, Meleek Thomas and Tyrese Proctor should see more minutes.

Tomlin is set to miss several weeks with a lower back stress reaction, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. This is a tough blow for the forward and there's no guarantee he's cleared right away when he's re-evaluated in three-to-four weeks. Tomlin wasn't projected to crack the rotation ahead of Opening Night and was penciled in to be an emergency depth option.