Allen Crabbe to Start as Trail Blazers Face Hornets

Joe Freeman of the Oregonian is reporting that second-year guard Allen Crabbe will replace the injured Nicolas Batum in the starting lineup for the Portland Trail Blazers tonight as they face the Charlotte Hornets. Batum was injured on Sunday and is targeting a return next Monday night. The move will put Wesley Matthews in Batum's usual small forward spot.

Freeman details Crabbe's history:

Crabbe, the sharpshooting second-year guard from the University of California, has been on the inactive list in three of the Blazers' seven games this season and has played in just 17 games over his two-year career. In 15 games as a rookie last season, Crabbe averaged 2.2 points and 0.6 rebounds per game in a total of 100 minutes.