The Portland Trail Blazers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Moda Center on Thursday.

The Trail Blazers (15-38) are in full rebuilding mode and sit second-to-last in the Western Conference, topping only the San Antonio Spurs. Portland has had quite a few issues on both ends of the court this season, and while the struggles were expected following the departure of Damian Lillard, the front office was not expecting to hold one of the league’s worst records at the All-Star break. There are some positives, though. Veterans such as Malcolm Brogdon (15.7 points, 5.5 assists per game) and Jerami Grant (21.7 points) have performed well. At the same time, Anfernee Simons (23.3 points, 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per tilt) continues to show why the coaching staff considers him a building block for the future. Still, the play of Scoot Henderson (12.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game), the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been subpar compared to what other rookies are doing. Portland enters this game having lost five games in a row and seven of its last nine. Their most recent game was a 121-109 loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday. They also own a 9-16 record at home.

The Trail Blazers are listing Moses Brown (wrist), Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) and Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) as out. Robert Williams (knee) is out for the season.

The Timberwolves (38-16) are oozing with confidence right now, and their 121-109 win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday was their third win in a row. It was also Minnesota’s fourth win over their last five games, with the lone blip in that span being a 129-123 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 6. The Timberwolves have been one of the most pleasant surprises in The Association this season. They have one of the best records in the Western Conference thanks to the strong play of their stars: Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert. The partnership between Gobert and Towns is finally working after an injury-marred 2022-23 campaign. In particular, Edwards has risen his game to a new level, firmly establishing himself as one of the league’s deadliest scorers. On that note, Edwards is averaging a career-high 26.1 points per game, while Towns (22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds per game) and Gobert (13.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per contest) have posted decent numbers as well. The Timberwolves also own a 19-11 record when playing away from home.

Minnesota is listing Wendell Moore (knee) as a game-time call for Thursday, while Jaylen Clark (Achilles) is out.