Deni Avdija

Portland is without Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III and Yang Hansen due to injury. Interim head coach Tiago Splitter has decided to go small to begin Thursday's game, with Murray moving into the starting lineup. The other change is Sharpe, who returns to the lineup at the expense of Sidy Cissoko.

Jones argued with an official regarding a foul called with 1.3 seconds remaining in the first half, picking up two technicals from two separate officials. His early departure makes New Orleans' task of defending Deni Avdija more challenging, as that was his assignment. Jones finished with four points (2-of-7 FGs), four rebounds and one blocked shot in 14 minutes of play.

While Avdija recorded a complete stat line and kept the turnovers in check, committing two, he struggled with his shot in New Orleans. And that was with the Pelicans' top defender, Herb Jones, getting ejected just before halftime. Over the past two weeks, Avdija has provided top-25 per-game value in eight-cat formats. That's slightly higher than his season-long production, and the 6-foot-9 will possess a high fantasy ceiling as long as the Trail Blazers remain without Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson.

It appears all three Trail Blazers are still a ways away from returning to the floor. Scoot has yet to suit up this season, while Holiday has been out almost a month and Thybulle hasn't played since October. Portland has made it work without Scoot and Jrue by starting Sidy Cissoko and putting the ball in Deni Avdija's hands, though the return of either would help this rotation tremendously.

The Trail Blazers are without their top two centers for Sunday's game, as Donovan Clingan (leg) and Robert Williams (illness) are inactive. As a result, Yang will make his first start as an NBA player. While the opportunity is a good one for the rookie, matching up with Zach Edey will not be easy. The other four starters are unchanged.