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On Friday evening, the Charlotte Hornets will host the Portland Trail Blazers in North Carolina. For the game, the Hornets could be without their best player, as LaMelo Ball is on the injury report. The 2022 NBA All-Star is averaging 29.

Portland is playing their best basketball of the season. Winners of three in a row, the Blazers are led by Anfernee Simons who is averaging 18.2ppg and Shaedon Sharpe contributing 17.7ppg. Scoot Henderson is improving by the game. The 2 nd -year pro is dishing out 5.3 assists per game and scoring 12.3 points nightly while shooting 35% from deep.

Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan is listed as probable ahead of Friday night’s game at the Charlotte Hornets after missing five games with a left ankle injury. This is an extremely positive development for the Blazers, who will be without starting center Deandre Ayton (knee) and backup Robert Williams III (right hand soreness).

The Portland Trail Blazers are gearing up for a battle against the Charlotte Hornets later tonight and they could get back a key piece to the puzzle. Rookie cen

However, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Kris Murray, and Anfernee Simons, the Trail Blazers' leading scorer, are all expected to play tonight. Clingan, Portland's first-round pick (7th overall in 2024), was sidelined for the past five games due to an ankle injury.

LaMelo Ball received an important injury update ahead of the Hornets' game on Friday night against the Trail Blazers.

While some may be ancy to back LaMelo Ball's scoring output against Portland, Douglas Farmer breaks down why that isn’t the best approach ahead of tonight's clash in Charlotte.

With Portland, the Hornets welcome a team that's in a very familiar spot to Spectrum Center. As many expected, the Trail Blazers have been one of the worst ball clubs in the Western Conference. But as of late, they are riding a three-game winning streak, including last night's impressive 101-79 victory in Orlando.

The Charlotte Hornets will begin a nine-game homestand tonight as they welcome in the Portland Trail Blazers, who have seemed to have figured some things out as of late. Our crew's picks for tonight's action are in.

Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers (16-28) will visit the Charlotte Hornets (11-29) at Spectrum Center on Friday, January 24. The opening tip is at 7:00 PM ET.The Hornets dropped their