The Portland Trail Blazers will be yet another man short tonight when they visit the Utah Jazz.
Backup forward Al-Farouq Aminu will not play because of a sprained left knee, leaving the reeling Blazers without their best perimeter defender.
The Blazers (23-32), who have lost five of their last seven games, also will be without Evan Turner, who is recovering from a fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand.
Aminu appeared to injure himself in the fourth quarter of the Blazers’ tough overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks, when Kent Bazemore fell and crashed into Aminu’s leg, bending it awkwardly.
Aminu was in noticeable pain after the collision and limped through a couple possessions, but played the rest of regulation and all five minutes of overtime. He’s averaging 8.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists and has been playing some of his best basketball in recent games.
After playing through cold shooting most of the season, Aminu is averaging 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, while shooting 47 percent from three-point range, in five February games. He scored a season-high 26 points and made three long-range shots in a loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, then recorded 14 points and 15 rebounds and made four threes in the loss to the Hawks on Monday.
Aminu has missed 15 games this season with a left calf injury and a back contusion.
After the Blazers’ Wednesday morning shootaround at Vivint Smart Home Arena, coach Terry Stotts would not say who will play in Aminu’s absence, but his options are limited with both Turner and Aminu sidelined. Pat Connaughton has played the last two games and Jake Layman rejoined the team this week after a stint in the NBA Development League.
Another new wrinkle for Stotts: Integrating new center Jusuf Nurkic into the rotation. The Blazers’ newest addition will make his debut Wednesday night.
Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman
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