Jusuf Nurkic’s career season was cut short on March 25th after he suffered a devastating leg injury in a double-overtime win against the Brooklyn Nets, and the loss of Nurkic was a massive blow to a dangerous Trail Blazers team that looked poised to challenge the Golden State Warriors in the postseason.
The Blazers have gone 3-1 since Nurkic’s injury, and the team has already matched its win total from the 2018 season, when Portland entered the playoffs as a No. 3 seed.
The 49-28 Blazers – currently fourth in the West and just two games behind the Nuggets in second – are 11-point favorites to beat the Grizzlies at home on Wednesday, a win that would trigger a bonus in Nurkic’s contract.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Nurkic will receive a bonus of $1.25 million if the Blazers win 50 games this season. The Blazers have five games left to play – including crucial back-to-back matchups with the Nuggets, which could shift the order at the top of the Western Conference standings.
