Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard out Thursday vs. 76ers

The Portland Trail Blazers will be without their leading scorer and a handful of others for Thursday's game at the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Portland's Casey Holdahl confirmed that guard Damian Lillard is out for Thursday's contest due to an abdominal strain. According to ESPN, Lillard considered sitting out Tuesday's matchup versus the Washington Wizards because of the issue.

Fellow Portland starters CJ McCollum (foot fracture), Jusuf Nurkic (wrist), and Derrick Jones Jr. (foot sprain) all are battling injuries and are currently sidelined. Nassir Little is also out with a left knee problem, and big man Zach Collins is still rehabbing from the ankle operation he underwent in the summer. 

Among the group, Lillard is the one irreplaceable figure, and the hope is that he'll be able to return for a Saturday afternoon game at the New York Knicks. According to ESPN stats, Lillard is third in the NBA with 29.1 points per game, and he's seventh in player efficiency rating (26.30). He scored 32 points in the 132-121 win over Washington that improved the Trail Blazers to 11-9 on the season.