Trail Blazers lose Game 3 to Grizzlies, 115-109

The Portland Trail Blazers needed a win against the Memphis Grizzlies going into Game 3 to have any real hope of staying in the series. Instead, they fell behind by 10 early on, and the Grizzlies’ lead stayed there practically the entire game. A late-game shift in urgency got the Trail Blazers to within three late, but poor shot selection and defensive setbacks reared their ugly heads again as Portland lost 115-109. The Trail Blazers now trail the Grizzlies 0-3 in the series.

Recap

LaMarcus Aldridge‘s first two shots missed, but were shot clock hoists that hit every part of the rim and before rattling out. Unfortunately, he was blocked on two of his next attempts, and the crowd was a little nervous, until Damian Lillard hit his first three and first shot of the game that cut the tension. Still, the Trail Blazers started just 2-of-10 from the field, and trailed 10-7 early. Making matters worse, during a timeout the officials waived off a previous Aldridge jumper that was released after the shot clock expired. Soon it was 18-7, and the flashbacks to the previous two games were vivid. To have just a single offensive rebound after missing so many shots was painful.

C.J. McCollum hit his first career playoff three, and the Trail Blazers forced a shot clock violation as the crowd again got loud. It’s worth noting that to have your crowd amping you up after a bad start is a huge help, and Nicolas Batum responded with a three of his own, now 22-17 Grizzlies. Then McCollum drove and was fouled to mark an 8-0 Portland run. After trailing by as many as 11, the Trail Blazers trailed 24-19 after one.

1st quarter stats:

• Trail Blazers: 5-17, 3-8 from deep
• Grizzlies: 11-21, 2-2 from deep
• Aldridge: 0-5, for 2 pts
• Lillard: 2-3 for 5 pts

To start the second, Afflalo got on the board, but Aldridge air-balled a jumper for his sixth straight miss. The Trail Blazers were down that familiar 5-10 points as their shooting continued to underwhelm. Aldridge got his first bucket rolling down the lane, but the Trail Blazers’ defense looked terrible. Afflalo got hit with his third foul with seven minutes to go in the period and the Trail Blazers down 40-28. There wasn’t much for the fans to cheer about, but the deficit wasn’t insurmountable, even if it felt like it.

Then a telling play developed. Lillard was doubled at the top, and instead of wilting, he split the defense, sucked them in, and kicked it to Batum for three. There has been previous little poise under pressure from the Trail Blazers lately, so it was good to see, even if the deficit was still rather large. Then Lillard took it to the teeth of the defense and finished, forcing a Memphis timeout as Lillard waved his arms to the crowd for more. Unfortunately, this hadn’t transferred to Aldridge, who had nearly air-balled a handful of shots to this point.

To end the quarter, Robin Lopez got so heated with an official that he had to be held back during a timeout from approaching him, and Chris Kaman committed a terrible foul on Marc Gasol to give the Grizzlies free throws. Memphis ended the half on a 10-3 run, and the Trail Blazers were down 62-49 at the break, yet another double-digit halftime deficit.

1st – 2nd quarter stats:

• Trail Blazers: 15-36, 6-14 from deep
• Grizzlies: 23-40, 3-4 from deep
• Aldridge: 1-10 for 8 points
• Lillard: 6-9 and 2-4 from deep for 14 pts

The Blazers started the second half with ball movement and a Batum three, but they couldn’t string together enough stops and successful offensive trips for it to make a difference. Never had a 12-point lead looked so scary. The Grizzlies started the quarter 1-of-7, and yet the lead was still double-digits, stretching to 14 to force a Portland timeout. McCollum had a beautiful up-and-under that was the play of the quarter, and Lillard forced the issue on the other end, but Memphis still retained a 10-point lead, 74-64.

Much more significantly, Mike Conley went down and didn’t get up as Lillard scored, and Memphis called time, Conley still on the ground. It turned out that he took a McCollum elbow to the face. Conley exited the game and did not return, heading to Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center for further evaluation. The Memphis lead stayed in double-digits, neither growing nor shrinking. The Trail Blazers faced an 85-75 deficit after three as the crowd was quiet and nervous.

1st – 3rd quarter stats:

• Trail Blazers: 25-52, 7-18 from deep
• Grizzlies: 30-58, 4-6 from deep
• Aldridge: 5-15 for 16 points, 6 boards, 4 dimes
• Lillard: 8-13 and 2-6 from deep for 19 pts, 6 dimes

The Blazers just weren’t able to string together enough stops and shots to make a dent. With nine minutes to go, it was 89-79, and even with Portland’s best players in, and Memphis still without Conley, there wasn’t anything to suggest a Trail Blazers run was coming. They started 1-9 in the quarter down 94-82 with five minutes to go, the moment slipping.

Batum was staying aggressive and doing everything he could to keep his team close. An Aldridge free throw cut it to 94-88, then the Trail Blazers got a stop, streaked out on the break, and Batum hit a three, capping a 9-0 Trail Blazers run and bringing them to within three at 94-91. But the Grizzlies scored… then again… and again, as the demoralizing weight of the moment suddenly felt all too real. And that was the game. More points were scored, but that run sealed the deal as the 9-point deficit was too much to overcome.

Final stats:

• Trail Blazers: 36-77, 11-27 from deep
• Grizzlies: 36-77, 4-9 from deep
• Aldridge: 6-18 for 21 points, 7 boards, 5 dimes, 2 blocks
• Lillard: 9-17 and 2-7 from deep for 22 pts and 9 dimes

Players

LaMarcus Aldridge started very slow, but warmed up as the game got going. However; he only hit six field goals on the night, and for the series hasn’t been shooting particularly well as a motivated Zach Randolph and the adjustment in officiating has made it much harder for shooters to get the looks they’re used to. He did finish with 21-7-5 with two blocks, which looks pretty darn good for an off-game.

Damian Lillard, by contrast, started hot and cooled somewhat as things got going. He was aggressive on the drive and got his teammates involved when the shots weren’t there. He finished with 22 points and nine assists.

Nicolas Batum has been playing well in this series, and tonight was his best yet. He set a playoff career-high with 27 points, adding six boards, four dimes, and zero turnovers. Over the series, he’s bringing 18-7-5 to the table, his best run of the season by far, and among the best of his career. He was aggressive and pesky, stabbing both on offense and on defense. Whatever was ailing Batum during the regular season, it appears to be firmly behind him.

C.J. McCollum, after a pair of disappointing showings, seemed settled at home, and as a result poured in a playoff career-high 26 points (one point short of his overall career-high) and added four boards and a few steals. His 26 points were the most by a Trail Blazers reserve in a playoff game since 1985, and all of the things McCollum did near the end of the regular season to make you fall in love with him, he did tonight.

Arron Afflalo was a sight for sore eyes, but wasn’t playing at 100% to begin with. His five points and six boards were welcome, yes, but in 20+ minutes you’re hoping from a little more from your starting shooting guard. He took five shots all game, but appeared to tweak his injured shoulder about halfway through. Eventual foul trouble aside (he fouled out), his defense on Conley allowed Lillard to conserve energy for the offensive end; a major help, all things considered.

Robin Lopez had four and four with foul trouble in another non-factor game.

Notes

• The fans booed Randolph roundly during the pregame introductions. I guess they haven’t been keeping up with all these pieces about how much Randolph has matured. How dare you, you fans you.

• The Trail Blazers handled the Grizzlies’ pressure a little better. They still looked a bit out of their element, and maybe it’s just the friendly home crowd, but in all areas, the Trail Blazers looked a tad more confident most of the game, despite being unable to make it competitive for large stretches.

• The Trail Blazers utterly failed at cracking into Memphis’ double-digit lead until it was so late that the margin for error was razor thin.

• Batum matched the Trail Blazers playoff record with 6 three-pointers. Terry Porter and Lillard are the other two Blazers to do it.

Next: Conley injury could be blessing in disguise for Memphis