December 08, (THEWILL) – The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that team guard Christian James McCollum was diagnosed with a collapsed right lung, which was discovered by a CT scan. According to the team, his prognosis will be decided after a thorough examination is concluded.
McCollum, who scored 24 points and six assists in Saturday’s 145-117 loss to Boston, was injured in the fourth quarter, which led to his pneumothorax, or collapsed lung.
Portland is already without All-Star guard Damian Lillard due to lower abdominal tendinopathy, an abdominal ailment, so this is yet another major setback. Portland has dropped six of its previous ten games and is on a three-game losing streak.
McCollum did not accompany the Blazers to San Francisco for their game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. This season, he has been averaging 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
The Trail Blazers face the very real risk of falling behind in the standings without Lillard and now McCollum. Chauncey Billups, the franchise’s first-year head coach, will face a difficult assignment in keeping the squad afloat
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.