Halloween Injury Report: Jazz and Blazers Limp Into Saturday Matchup

The NBA injury report for Halloween is officially out, and it reads less like a basketball update and more like a triage log from a medieval battlefield. If you were hoping to watch fully operational basketball teams this afternoon, you might want to adjust your expectations.

The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers are limping into their Saturday matchup missing enough star power to field a competitive All-Star team. Portland is sitting at a surprisingly solid 3-1, but they are doing it without Ja Morant. Morant is sidelined for about four weeks with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, leaving a massive hole in the backcourt alongside Shaedon Sharpe, who is also out.

To make matters worse for the Blazers frontcourt, Robert Williams is questionable with a knee issue. That sounds like a broken record for anyone who has followed his career, but it leaves Portland vulnerable inside.

Somehow, Utah is in an even darker place. The Jazz are 1-4, staring down a four-game losing streak, and their frontcourt is completely decimated. Jaren Jackson Jr. is out for at least six weeks with a torn MCL, and Jusuf Nurkic is still sidelined by a torn plantar plate in his foot.

If you are holding a ticket on the Jazz to cover anything right now, you are basically betting on the arena staff to suit up. Lauri Markkanen is questionable with a right wrist sprain. If he sits, Utah will have to rely entirely on Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson to generate offense against a Portland team that still has plenty of firepower.

It is not just the Jazz and Blazers getting cooked by the injury bug today. The Oklahoma City Thunder have six guys out, including Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, making the entire Western Conference look like a survival test.

For anyone trying to build a daily fantasy lineup or find an edge on the afternoon slate, keep hitting refresh on Markkanen's status. If the Finnish star cannot go for Utah, Portland should have a clear runway to grab their fourth win of the year, even without Morant pushing the pace.