Trail Blazers at Bulls
The Portland Trail Blazers lost center Jusuf Nurkic to a horrific injury but attempt to move on when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Nurkic broke his left tibia and fibula during the second overtime of Monday's victory over Brooklyn when he landed awkwardly near the basket.
Nurkic underwent season-ending surgery on Tuesday and doctors expect him to make a full recovery despite the seriousness of the injury. "It made me sick to my stomach," Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard told reporters after seeing Nurkic's left leg in an atypical manner. "As I was walking over there, I saw everybody else turn around real quick and walk away, and then I looked and saw his leg - and you just hate to see that happen to him." Portland clinched a Western Conference playoff spot with Monday's 148-144 victory - its fourth straight triumph and seventh in eight contests. The Bulls have dropped seven of their last nine after suffering a 112-103 loss in Toronto on Tuesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), NBCS Chicago
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (46-27): Nurkic was enjoying a huge performance against the Nets, recording a season-high 32 points and 16 rebounds before being injured, and finished the season with a career-high 15.6 scoring average while matching personal bests of 10.4 boards and 3.2 assists in 72 games. Enes Kanter and Zach Collins will be asked to step up to fill the hole in the middle, but the latter was more concerned about Nurkic's situation than the opportunity to make a bigger contribution. "Nurk, he's been having a (heck) of a season and he had an amazing game," Collins told reporters after Monday's contest. "And for it to end like that for him, it's just tough. All we can do is be there for him and hope he's in as little pain as possible and knows that we've got his back."
ABOUT THE BULLS (21-54): Lauri Markkanen scored 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting but didn't play in the second half after being heavily fatigued according to coach Jim Boylen, who was unsure if the second-year power forward will play against Portland "That's rough, man," veteran center Robin Lopez told reporters of Markkanen's departure. "Obviously, Lauri is a huge part of what we do. We definitely want him out there, no question. I love playing with Lauri." Zach LaVine (knee, thigh) likely will miss his fourth consecutive game while Otto Porter Jr. (shoulder) is expected to sit out his fifth straight contest.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers have won each of the last four meetings, including a 124-112 home victory on Jan. 9.
2. Portland SG CJ McCollum (knee) didn't travel with the team for the start of its four-game road trip and will miss his fifth straight contest.
3. Chicago PG Kris Dunn (back) sat out on Tuesday and is questionable to play against Portland.