Despite off-court drama surrounding Chauncey Billups, the Trail Blazers are on fire right now. Interim head coach Tiago Splitter has the team playing some seriously impressive basketball to kick off the 2025-26 season.
Portland has jumped out to a solid 4-2 record through six games and are riding a three-game winning streak. They’ll host the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Monday, November 3.
But they’ll have to do it without Matisse Thybulle.
The defensive specialist suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb during last Wednesday’s game. He underwent surgery just two days later and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, according to team sources.
Thybulle’s injury happened during Portland’s nail-biting 136-134 win over Utah. He left in the first quarter and didn’t return, with Thursday’s MRI revealing the full extent of the damage.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Steven S. Shin at the Cedars Sinai/Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles.
This is a tough break for the 28-year-old defender, who’s in the final year of his $11.5 million contract. He’ll hit unrestricted free agency this summer unless Portland decides to keep him around.
Thybulle came into the league as the 20th overall pick in the 2019 draft, when Philadelphia traded up to grab the Washington standout. He spent his first four and a half seasons with the Sixers, appearing in 245 games and starting 78 of them. During his Philly tenure, he averaged 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
The Sixers shipped him to Portland at the 2022-23 trade deadline as part of a three-team deal involving the Hornets.
Since joining the Blazers, Thybulle has played in 104 games with 46 starts. His role has been shrinking lately, though. He played just 15 games for Portland last season, averaging 20.8 minutes. This year, he was down to 12.3 minutes per game before getting hurt.
There is some good news on the injury front for Portland fans. Big man Robert Williams finally made his season debut on Friday against the Nuggets.
“One day, the Portland Trail Blazers will have Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams healthy at the same time and their defense will be even more incredible,” tweeted NBA analyst David MacKay on November 1.
For now, the Blazers will look to keep their winning ways going when they face LeBron and the Lakers on Monday night.
