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 center Donovan Clingan has been upgraded to probable for this game against Charlotte after missing the last few contests due to injury.

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).

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,

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

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.

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.

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.