Tonight at 6:00 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Memphis Grizzlies to Moda Center. After a disappointing showing in Utah, the Trail Blazers will have a tough time bouncing back against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies have lost their last two road games but did not struggle in their first visit to Portland this season. The game will be broadcast on CSNNW and can be heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Can we just pretend like Friday’s game in Utah didn’t happen? The Trail Blazers put out their worst performance of the season, scoring only 76 points on 36.1 percent shooting. That was their lowest point total since a game against the Grizzlies on April 3rd, 2013. Friday night needs to be a distant memory and playing one of the toughest teams in the NBA isn’t exactly the easiest way to bounce back.
The trade deadline frenzy involved the addition of two new Trail Blazers. Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee will be active for tonight’s game after participating in their first team practice yesterday. Afflalo will be a key contributor off the bench and provide more depth for the Trail Blazers. Gee will primarily be used for his defense but shouldn’t be considered the fluff of the trade. Afflalo seems to have the right mindset to be a true teammate. “I look at myself as a person that gives a team what it needs,” he told Joe Freeman after practice. “If this team needs depth, if it needs scoring off the bench, if it needs a defensive stopper for segments, that’s what I’m going to be.”
Head Coach Terry Stotts said he won’t overload his newly acquired players but they might need to step in immediately. The Grizzlies are currently second in the Western Conference and own the third best record in the NBA this season. They took the first two games of the season series against the Trail Blazers, the most recent one in Memphis on January 17th (102-98). Even though the Grizzlies are loaded with talent, reserve Beno Udrih who started that game for the then injured Conley, had the biggest impact. He finished a perfect 7-7 from the floor and scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
That game was awhile ago and tonight will be much different. Lopez is back in the lineup, as is Conley. The highlighted matchup when these teams meet is usually Aldridge against Randolph. Aldridge struggled to find his rhythm on Friday and only shot 31.3 percent from the floor. In two games against the Grizzlies this season, he is averaging 25.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Randolph has been destroying the Trail Blazers this season averaging 17.0 points and 14.0 rebounds. The ex-Trail Blazer has recorded a double-double in 15 of his last 18 games, including a streak of 12 straight.
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I believe the X-Factor will be Matthews. He has torched the Grizzlies this season averaging 25.5 points and shooting a blistering 52.9 percent from field. Lee proves a favorable matchup for Matthews in the post, where Matthews overpowers him. Both players may be 6′ 5″ but Matthews has 20 pounds on Lee. Look for the Trail Blazers to use that to their advantage tonight and get Matthews the ball on down low.
If the Trail Blazers can find a way to win the rebounding battle and get their shooting back on track, they will have a chance to defeat a very good Grizzlies team.