Trail Blazers, Grizzlies – Division leaders to clash in Portland
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 7:00 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Memphis Grizzlies to the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, boasting a nine-game winning streak. The Grizzlies are tied for the league’s best record and will be a very formidable opponent. Watch all of the action on CSNNW or listen to the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Talk about a statement game early in the season. This matchup has everything you want in a Western Conference showdown. The Trail Blazers are back home after a gritty three-game road trip. They won all three games and showed they don’t fold when the going gets tough. The Trail Blazers continue to amaze me and they seem to be getting better with each passing game. The Moda Center has proven to be the Trail Blazers golden haven, where they are 8-1 on the season. The two blemishes on the schedule for the Grizzlies have come on the road. I imagine that the Moda Center will be rocking tonight and the fans will do their best to will their team to victory.
Wesley Matthews is the glue that holds this Trail Blazers team together. He gets it done, night in and night out, and on many different levels. Some nights it’s with his defense, others with his scoring. I love that about him and I’m glad he’s on my team. His hot shooting continued on Wednesday night in Charlotte where he put in 28 points on 10-15 from the field, including 6-9 from three-point range. The Trail Blazers will need his tenacity and grit tonight against a physical Grizzlies team.
The Grizzlies sit atop the standings and look to be a real threat in the West. However, I’m not sure their wins have been as impressive as the Trail Blazers’. If you look at the schedules side-by-side, I believe that the Grizzlies have played weaker opponents overall. I’m not saying this team isn’t scary good, because they are loaded with talent. It just seems weird that a team that is 17th in scoring (99.9), 12th in rebounding (42.7), and 14th in assists (21.3) is tied for the best record in the NBA. They do get after you on the defensive side of the ball, where they rank third in points allowed with 92.4 per game. As stated, this game will tell us a lot about each of these teams.
Mar 30, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) and Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) battle for a rebound after a free throw during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Key matchups are all over the floor tonight, but I am most interested in the frontcourt, starting at the power forward position. Aldridge and Randolph will play important roles in deciding the outcome of this game. Aldridge has historically struggled against the Grizzlies in his career. In 26 career games against Memphis, he has averaged 16.5 points which is his lowest average against any opponent. Randolph is pouring in 16.1 points per game this season and loves playing against his former team. He has only played 15 career games against the Trail Blazers but that’s because he was apart of the organization for his first six NBA seasons. In those 15 games, he is averaging 20.7 points, his highest average against any opponent.
I’ll also look to the center matchup between Lopez and Gasol. Lopez has played very consistently this season and it will need to continue tonight. He has seven blocks over the last two games and had his third double-digit rebounding effort of the season on Wednesday against the Hornets. Gasol plays like a man among boys at times. He is averaging 25.8 points per game, along with three double-digit rebounding efforts over the last four games. If Gasol gets it going early, Lopez will have a hard time cooling him off and may end up in foul trouble. That’s where the addition of Chris Kaman is so vital for the success of the Trail Blazers. Kaman can hold his own against almost any other center in the NBA and might have to prove it against one of the best tonight.