‣ Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton sprained his right hand during a game against the Miami Heat, with X-rays returning negative.
‣ Ayton has been performing strongly this season, averaging 14.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, and shooting a career-best 82.4% at the foul line.
‣ Despite Ayton’s injury, the Trail Blazers are ranked 14th in the Western Conference playoff odds, trailing behind teams like the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.
Deandre Ayton is now QUESTIONABLE to return with a right hand sprain after this collision with Kevin Love in the 1st Half 🙏
— Blazers Nation (@BlazersNationCP)
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Oh boy, did you hear about Deandre Ayton? The Portland Trail Blazers’ center took a nasty spill Tuesday night. He sprained his right hand after a tough fall in the paint. It happened during their game against the Miami Heat, which they lost 106-96.
Chauncey Billups, the Blazers’ coach, had some news after the game. Ayton had X-rays on his hand, thankfully, they came back negative. The mishap occurred late in the first quarter when Ayton collided with Miami’s Kevin Love. Poor guy landed right on his hand, behind his back.
Now, if you’re into NBA betting, here’s a tidbit. The Trail Blazers are ranked 14th in odds to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Seems like the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets are getting better odds.
There was this tweet from Blazers Nation. It said, “Deandre Ayton is now QUESTIONABLE to return with a right hand sprain after this collision with Kevin Love in the 1st Half pic.twitter.com/RyOE4YTM9G” That was on February 28, 2024. Talk about a bummer, right?
Billups seemed pretty concerned. He mentioned further testing because Ayton was in quite a bit of pain. But let’s not forget, Ayton was killing it in that first half. Offense, defense, you name it, he dominated.
Despite the injury, Ayton had racked up 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes. It was his third straight double-double, and fifth in six games. Unfortunately, they had to rule him out late in the third quarter.
Here’s something impressive – Ayton’s foul line shooting is at a career-best 82.4%. Not too shabby, huh?
With Ayton out, rookie big Duop Reath stepped in. Though, the game wasn’t kind to him. He ended up scoreless, with just three rebounds in under 13 minutes.
So far this season, Ayton’s been on fire. Through 40 games, all starts, he’s averaging 14.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. Not to mention, a career-high 1.1 steals and 31.6 minutes per game. And his shooting? A solid 57% from the field and that impressive 82.4% at the foul line.
The Trail Blazers tweeted, “On to the next one. pic.twitter.com/4MSjGXl8OZ” on February 28, 2024. Seems like they’re ready to move forward.
Ayton’s also making waves with his rankings this season. He’s 15th in field goal percentage, 11th in total rebound percentage at 18.9%, 16th in offensive rebound percentage at 10.2%, and eighth in defensive rebound percentage at 28.9%.
In a game against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 4, Ayton showed what he’s capable of. He scored a season-high 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out four assists, snagged one steal, and blocked two shots in 38 minutes. Quite the performance, wouldn’t you say?
