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Batum joins list of injured Blazers

Improved Wizards team visits slumping Portland on Saturday

By Erik Gundersen, Columbian Trail Blazers Writer
Published: January 23, 2015, 4:00pm

PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers are 31-13 and in third place in the Western Conference.

But the question is no longer how high can they climb, but how long they can tread water?

Nicolas Batum joined LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez and Joel Freeland as fellow Blazers who are unable to play after re-injuring his right wrist in Thursday’s last-second loss to the Boston Celtics.

The Blazers listed Batum is doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards and added Chris Kaman’s name to the injury report, listing him as questionable with a leg contusion.

“We just got to get our confidence up and win those games when we are shorthanded,” Damian Lillard said following Thursday’s loss.

The NBA keeps on rolling along. And before the Blazers embark on a four-game Eastern Conference road trip, they host the team with the second-best record in the East.

The Wizards, much like the Blazers last season, ended a long playoff losing streak by winning in the first round. And they’ve gotten better.

They added veteran forward Paul Pierce, who is already providing crunch-time shot making on the wing. Their big man combo of Marcin Gortat and Nenê is one of the toughest in the league with the lightning quick John Wall flying around their screens.

The Blazers are down three of their top four big men and the Wizards are armed with the personnel that can exploit that weakness.

Under normal circumstances, the point guard match-up between Lillard and first time All-Star starter Wall would take center stage. But as injuries continue to pile up, the Blazers will be fighting just to stay close.

Three of their four games on the upcoming road trip are against teams with winning records in Cleveland, Milwaukee and the league’s hottest team, the Atlanta Hawks.

With the ninth place Oklahoma City Thunder lurking eight games behind the Blazers, the significance of every win will be even greater.

And as far as adding another player to a 10-day contract while their numbers run thin, they currently are unable to apply for a hardship exception that would temporarily create a 16th roster spot, a league source confirmed.

The league requires that four players miss at least three games and that all those players are unable to play for at least another two weeks before the exception can be granted.

It remains to be seen when Freeland or Lopez will return, although general manager Neil Olshey told Sirius XM radio the Blazers are “hopeful” to have Lopez back before the All-Star break.

By deeming Batum doubtful, it leads one to believe he won’t be out for two weeks.

Exception or not, the Blazers are definitely going through more hardship than they’ve faced on the health front than at any time over the last two seasons.

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Columbian Trail Blazers Writer