The Portland Trail Blazers overcame a hot-shooting night from the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night to earn a 122-115 win, their second straight over this team.
It took a spirited comeback and contributions from up and down the roster for the Blazers, who trailed by eight points entering the fourth quarter.
Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 29 points, including 6-10 from behind the three-point arc. Grant made two big corner threes in the final minutes of the game to seal the victory, which improved the Blazers’ record to 25-28.
The Grizzlies (20-31) gave the Blazers everything they could handle. They were hot from behind the three-point arc most of the night, but went cold down the stretch, making just 3-12 in the fourth quarter as the Blazers pulled away.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper led the charge for the Grizzlies, scoring 25 points and making 7 of his 8 threes.
Here are some instant reactions to tonight’s game.
Jerami Grant paced the Blazers with 29 points. He made 10-17 shots from the field.
Grant kept the Blazers in the game with 21 first-half points. Playing without their two leading scorers in Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, the Blazers sorely needed Grant’s production. They have been plagued by slow starts over the past few weeks, but Grant and fellow veteran Jrue Holiday ensured that they got off to a better start Saturday night. The duo tallied 11 of the Blazers’ first 13 points.
Grant slowed down after halftime. He scored just two points in the third quarter, but came alive again when it mattered most. He knocked down back-to-back corner three-pointers with less than three minutes to play, stretching the Blazers’ lead to their eventual margin of seven points.
The Blazers scored 24 second-chance points, while allowing only four to the Grizzlies.
Thanks to injuries and the recent trade of Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies played small lineups for the entire game. Particularly with Donovan Clingan on the floor, the Blazers had a significant size advantage and they made it count. Clingan finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.
The Blazers needed those points to counter a hot-shooting night from the Grizzlies. They shot 50% from three-point range through the first three quarters before coming back to earth in the fourth.
The Blazers leaned on their veteran leaders to keep them in the game and weather the hot shooting from the Grizzlies.
Grant did the heavy lifting in the first half. Fellow veteran Jrue Holiday took over after the break, making three-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half on his way to 11 important third quarter points. Holiday finished with 21 points and made four of his six threes.
But when it came down to crunch time, the younger Blazers took over. Caleb Love had ten points and four assists in the fourth quarter alone to spark the comeback. New acquisition Vit Krejci and Toumani Camara also had huge buckets down the stretch, setting the stage for Grant to seal the win.
The Blazers finish up their five-game homestand Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 PM Pacific.
