Deni Avdija

Avdija (back) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Grizzlies.

Avdija (back) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Grizzlies, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland reports.

Avdija (back) is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies (19-29, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (23-28, 10th in the Western Conference)Portland, Oregon; Friday, 10 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Portland comes into the matchup with Memphis after losing six in a row.The Trail Blazers are 18-15 in Western Conference games. Portland is 9-12 in games decided by 10 or more points.The Grizzlies are 16-17 in Western Conference play. Memphis ranks ninth in the Western Conference shooting 34.9% from 3-point range.The Trail Blazers' 14.1 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.2 fewer made shots on average than the 14.3 per game the Grizzlies give up. The Grizzlies average 13.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.5 more makes per game than the Trail Blazers allow.The teams meet for the second time this season. The Grizzlies won 119-96 in the last matchup on Dec. 7.TOP PERFORMERS: Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 21.8 points for the Trail Blazers. Jerami Grant is averaging 13.6 points over the last 10 games.Cedric Coward is averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Grizzlies. GG Jackson is averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 53.6% over the last 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 4-6, averaging 112.9 points, 48.0 rebounds, 22.7 assists, 8.7 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.1 points per game.Grizzlies: 2-7, averaging 116.8 points, 42.8 rebounds, 28.7 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.2 points.INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Deni Avdija: day to day (back), Scoot Henderson: day to day (hamstring), Matisse Thybulle: out (knee), Kris Murray: day to day (lumbar), Damian Lillard: out for season (achilles).Grizzlies: Kyle Anderson: out (illness), Georges Niang: out (foot), Scotty Pippen Jr.: out (toe), Ja Morant: out (elbow), Zach Edey: out (ankle), Brandon Clarke: out (calf).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Stephen Curry will be joining Olympic teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant once again, this time at the All-Star Game.The NBA announced the rosters for this season's midseason showcase event on Tuesday night, splitting 25 names onto three squads. It's the debut of another new All-Star format this one U.S. vs. The World, on Feb. 15 at the Los Angeles Clippers' home in Inglewood, California.It's a concept that Commissioner Adam Silver thinks will tap into national pride for the players and comes at a fitting time. The game will be aired on NBC, which is also broadcasting the Milan Cortina Olympics that start later this week and run through Feb. 22.The U.S.-vs.-World concept was talked about for years before becoming a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled the long-awaited plan in their latest attempt to spark renewed interest in the game following a largely panned tournament format last season.The Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, likely the most deserving name left off the original list of 24 All-Stars, was added to the pool of U.S. players Tuesday shortly before the rosters were unveiled. And that move likely was what sent New York's Karl-Anthony Towns to the World team.Towns was born in New Jersey but has played international basketball for the Dominican Republic his late mother's homeland.The NBA had said in recent months that it would adjust roster sizes as needed to ensure all three teams had at least eight players, the minimum required under the new format. Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to play for the World team because of injury, which is why that squad has nine players.The U.S. teams were split by age: The older players were assigned to USA Stripes, the younger ones to USA Stars.The rosters: USA Stripes Jaylen Brown, Boston; Jalen Brunson, New York; Stephen Curry, Golden State; Kevin Durant, Houston; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers; Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland; Norman Powell, Miami.Coach: Mitch Johnson, San Antonio. USA Stars Scottie Barnes, Toronto; Devin Booker, Phoenix; Cade Cunningham, Detroit; Jalen Duren, Detroit; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota; Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City; Jalen Johnson, Atlanta; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia.Coach: J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit. World Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee; Deni Avdija, Portland; Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City; Nikola Jokic, Denver; Jamal Murray, Denver; Pascal Siakam, Indiana; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York; Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.Coach: Darko Rajakovic, Toronto. Schedule All games will be 12 minutes. Game 1: USA Stars vs. World. Game 2: USA Stripes vs. winning team of Game 1. Game 3: USA Stripes vs. losing team of Game 1. Game 4: Championship (top two teams from round-robin play). If all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team s games.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA