A CJ McCollum scoring burst and some inspired defense from Gary Trent Jr. saw the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies and move to the playoffs.
The Portland Trail Blazers kept the fans on the edge of their seat again against the Memphis Grizzlies. This time they prevailed in the fourth quarter on the back of some CJ McCollum heroics, final score 126 – 122.
This game was another cliff hanger. It went down to the final 20 or so seconds, with Carmelo Anthony ( who else? ) icing the game with another huge three-pointer.
This matchup started well for the Blazers as they went up big in the first quarter. But an injury to Zach Collins and the ensuing Hassan Whiteside minutes let the Grizzlies back into the game. Ja Morant was cooking in the first half and Whiteside just couldn’t defend the pick and roll at all.
In the second half, Whiteside was still struggling. This was in contrast to Jusuf Nurkic, who had 11 points and 17 rebounds in the first half, but was clearly tired while also dealing with the terrible news that his grandmother passed away before the game.
Brandon Clarke and Morant exploited the pick and roll beautifully, Clarke hitting four corner threes in the third quarter to give the Grizzlies the lead. Dame looked a little tired as well, but was still able to hit threes and get to the line to keep the Blazers in it.
Both Melo and Gary Trent Jr. were quiet offensively, so it was CJ who was required to step up. With some key defensive plays too, he was locked in all game. As the game started to tighten up, he went to his mid-range pull up, and step back three.
Dame hit shots in the second half, continuing to get to the line as his opposite Morant got everywhere he wanted on offense. Nurkic also came into the game in the second half with some great passing, defense and rebounding.
The fourth quarter was all CJ’s though. He had 14 points, hitting shots all around the arc, inside and out. Morant kept it close with 35 points in the game, but it was the heroic performance of CJ with 29 in the game that topped him. Considering his fractured vertebra, this was a gutsy showing.
Trent came up big in the fourth quarter as well, a big block on Morant and five steals, a testament to his steely attitude and great man defense.
Nurkic finished with 22 points, 21 rebounds and 6 assists, while Dame had 31 points and 10 assists.
The Blazers now move on to the playoffs where they will face the number one seed Los Angeles Lakers. A tough assignment, but they are there now, after everyone counted them out.