Meyers Leonard, C.J. McCollum shine as Blazers avoid sweep
92. 211. 99. 34. Final
Their backs firmly against the wall, the Portland Trail Blazers gave the audience a little bit of everything, from confidence with an early lead, to despair as the lead evaporated into a deficit, to hope in the fourth quarter, to exuberance as they took the lead and refused to let it go. Facing a Memphis Grizzlies broom, the Blazers took a lighter and set it aflame in an exhilarating 99-92 win at the Moda Center. It was the Trail Blazers’ first win against Memphis of the year.
Recap
We know the first half was incredible, but this game really didn’t start until the secnd half. As such, we’ll keep the first half brief. The Grizzlies jumped out to their usual, predictable early lead, lording over the Trail Blazers 12-4 on a pair of Nick Calathes threes and assorted offensive contributions. The Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 run of their own, amping the crowd and giving the dim beacon of hope in this series a few extra watts of energy. The teams traded buckets to end the quarter with the Trail Blazers up 27-22.
1st quarter stats:
- Grizzlies: 8-19, 2-4 from deep, 22 points, 9 boards
- Trail Blazers: 12-26, 3-6 from deep, 27 points, 14 boards
- Damian Lillard: 4-7, 8 points
- LaMarcus Aldridge: 2-6, 4 points, 3 boards
The Grizzlies went on a run of their own to surge ahead to start the second quarter, but were suppressed by the glory that is Meyers Leonard, who scored eight straight points on a hook and consecutive threes. Leonard ended up being the star of the quarter, but the star of the half was Lillard, who looked less interested in his team packing it in for the series and more interested in packing it in the paint. As Lillard danced, twisted, and spun his way to the cup, both teams traded buckets at the end of the quarter again, and the Trail Blazers had their first halftime lead of the series, 55-48.
1st through 2nd quarter stats:
- Grizzlies: 19-40, 4-8 from deep, 48 points, 17 boards
- Trail Blazers: 19-40, 5-12 from deep, 55 points, 22 boards
- Leonard: 5-5, 3-3 from deep, 13 points, 4 boards, 2 dimes
- Lillard: 7-12, 0-1 from deep, 16 points, 5 dimes
- Aldridge: 5-11, 10 points, 7 boards
Memphis created bizarre mismatches and took advantage to open the second half, cutting into the Trail Blazers lead to make it 57-54. Portland wasn’t able to get enough (or any) offensive rebounds to smooth over their poor shooting, and in the blink of an eye, Memphis pulled ahead 62-57, with absolutely nothing going right for the home team. The Trail Blazers finally stopped the bleeding, but it was too late to prevent a 15-point swing, and the Grizzlies continued attacking. Memphis took a 75-68 lead into the fourth, the fans both in the Moda Center and elsewhere feeling very anxious indeed.
1st through 3rd quarter stats:
- Grizzlies: 29-60, 6-11 from deep, 75 points, 32 boards
- Trail Blazers: 29-67, 6-17 from deep, 68 points, 32 boards
- Leonard: 5-6, 3-3 from deep, 13 points, 6 boards
- Lillard: 9-16, 0-1 from deep, 20 points, 6 dimes
- Aldridge: 5-18 (0-7 in the quarter), 12 points, 8 boards
The Trail Blazers began the fourth without being able to hit a shot. They allowed Jeff Green to hit a three as the shot clock expired… he was 30 feet away and Batum thought he better protect against the drive. Questionable at best. The Portland offense was garbage, and if it weren’t for the Grizzlies struggling from the field, it would have been a massacre. However, 80-70 with nine minutes to go isn’t impossible, even if it seemed like it because of how poorly the series had gone to this point.
This is probably when many teams could have tuned out and turned off. The series all but over, the game not going their way… what is there to play for?
For this Trail Blazers team, plenty. And it showed. They went all out, diving into the teeth of the defense relentlessly, and it earned them some points for their troubles: 80-74 with seven minutes to go. With Lillard probing, a stepback made it 80-76 and forced a Grizzlies timeout. The Trail Blazers continued fighting, and with four Aldridge free throws they were able to cut it to 82-80.
The Trail Blazers held firm, and C.J. McCollum took the contact on the break to tie it, 82-all with four minutes to go. Marc Gasol wouldn’t be denied, even as Leonard played solid defense, but McCollum took it to the rim to answer, 84-all. Gasol answered once again on the other end, but Lillard was fouled on a three, and completed the 4-point play for an 88-86 lead with two minutes to go!
The game, out of reach minutes before, was abruptly placed firmly in Portland’s grasp. Zach Randolph scored, but McCollum hit for three to make it 91-88. When the Trail Blazers held, Lillard took a three that missed, but in one of the most underrated and important plays of the game, Batum battled for the rebound and was held. He threw his hands high and arced back so as to make the hold too obvious to ignore, drawing the foul. With 28 seconds left and the Trail Blazers now up four and in the middle of a 21-8 run, the Grizzlies needed some combination of threes on their end and misses on the Blazers’ end, but got neither.
As the clock wound down, it seemed almost impossible, but it was true: the Trail Blazers had finally beaten the Grizzlies during the 2014-15 postseason, and had staved off elimination. They are still down 3-1, but avoiding the sweep still means something.
Players
Meyers Leonard has “grown up,” according to Batum in his postgame interviews. We couldn’t agree more. He finished with 13 points, 13 boards, and 0 turnovers. His defense on Gasol down the stretch was spectacular. He didn’t stop him every time, but he forced Gasol to work for the shots he wanted, and prevented him from getting good looks altogether on a few occasions. It’s easy to see now, with years of perspective, why the Trail Blazers chose him as a lottery pick.
Damian Lillard was outstanding, and while a few of his heat check shots were questionable, his tenacity and drive weren’t. He finished with 32 points on 12-23 shooting with six dimes.
LaMarcus Aldridge struggled again, as the Grizzlies have gotten pretty good at moving him where he’s at his least effective. Not many people would argue getting 18 and 12 from your starting power forward, but this is Aldridge we’re talking about here. Don’t be surprised if he has a nice bounce-back game in Memphis.
C.J. McCollum was dynamic and looking every bit the lottery pick the Blazers spent on him a few years ago. He finished 8-12 from the field, 2-2 from deep with five boards and two dimes for 18 points. That McCollum can get it done from deep, and off drives, and from the midrange is a really nice piece the Trail Blazers may not have realized they had.
Let’s not speak too much of Arron Afflalo right now. He is soldiering through a shoulder strain that he should probably be resting. He was 0-5 from the field, playing just 19 minutes.
Notes
- The Trail Blazers led for 14:55 in the first half alone. In the previous 3 games, they led for a total of 12:52.
- Leonard is the first Blazer since Brian Grant (in May 2000) to come off bench ands get a double/double.