Portland Trail Blazers vs Milwaukee Bucks: 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.

Rollins (head) exited to the locker room in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 123-112 loss to the Lakers and did not return, finishing with eight points (3-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt), seven rebounds, four assists and one steal across 24 minutes. Rollins bumped heads with Collin Sexton with 6:51 remaining in the contest, and both players exited to the locker room. Rollins' status will be worth monitoring ahead of Friday's game at Orlando. If he needs to miss time, AJ Green and Kasparas Jakucionis could see increased playing time.

Turner has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Lakers due to rest. Turner will miss his first game of the season after totaling only three points in 27 minutes during Tuesday's blowout loss in New York. In Turner's absence, Kel'el Ware and Jericho Sims are candidates for increased roles. Turner should return to action Friday in Orlando.