After an intense stretch of video games the Portland Trail Blazers were able squeak by the Memphis Grizzlies to earn the 8-seed and the all important advantage in the 2-game play-in series. A win on Saturday would offer Portland the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. A loss would suggest the 2 teams deal with off again on Sunday in a winner-take-all matchup for the right to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
The Grizzlies went into Orlando with a 3.5 video game lead over the Blazers, but won only 2 of their 8 seeding video games. The Grizzlies will be without Jaren Jackson Jr. who scored 33 points against Portland in that game. Ja Morant (12 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) and Jonas Valanciunas (26 points, 19 rebounds, 12 helps) both had triple-doubles in the game.
Saturday, August 15 – 11:30 a.m. PTBlazers injuries: Rodney Hood (out), Trevor Ariza (chose out), Caleb Swanigan (pulled out), Nassir Little (out) Grizzlies injuries: Tyus Jones (uncertain), Justise Winslow (out), Jaren Jackson Jr. (out) How to see on TV: ABC (or take a look at Fubo for your streaming needs) Radio: 620 AMSBN Affiliate: Grizzly Bear Blues
What to look for
Lillard and McCollum are second and very first in minutes played in Orlando (41.7 and 40.9 per video game, respectively); Ja Morant is third with 37.8. Saturdays game will be the very first video game in a week that isnt a must-win for Portland. Will that cause Portland to reduce up a bit or can they keep up the very same level of effort and energy to avoid a removal game?
Three-point shooting. Portland has shot the ball extremely well from beyond the arc in the bubble (41.4 percent), while Memphis has actually been below par (31.7 percent). The Grizzlies will miss out on Jackson Jr.s ability to stretch the floor (he went 6-of-15 from three against the Blazers). Grayson Allen (48 percent) and Anthony Tolliver (41.7 percent) are the only Grizzlies shooting much better than 35 percent in the bubble. The Blazers have four gamers– Gary Trent Jr. (50.7 percent), Carmelo Anthony (46.9 percent), Damian Lillard (43.6 percent), and CJ McCollum (37 percent)– striking regularly from deep.
Damian Lillard. Not enough can be stated about what Portlands All-Star guard has done the previous eight video games. Lillard is balancing 37.6 points and 9.6 assists per video game in Orlando while shooting 43.6 percent on 12.6 three-point attempts per game. That percentage is specifically excellent considering how typically he shoots contested or deep three-pointers. Lillards will to win has been especially evident in Portlands final 3 games. After missing two free tosses versus the LA Clippers last Saturday, he scored 51, 61, and 42 to close out the seeding games. The Blazers needed every single among those indicate win 3 close games, and theyll need an excellent efficiency again from Lillard on Saturday.
What theyre stating
JLew23 of Grizzly Bear Blues blogged about Grayson Allens bench scoring:
In the bubble, Grayson was a 50-40-90 gamer, converting on 50% of his field objectives overall, 40% of his threes, and 90% of his free throws (in only 10 efforts – once again, little sample size). That is an impractical speed to expect a third year bench gamer to keep over the course of an entire season.
ESPNs Zach Lowe noted that Ja Morant is not finding success against switches:
Big men back away, inviting Morant to hoist jumpers or dribble right into them. Morant does not desire those 3s; he typically actions in for long contested twos. Hes athletic enough to accelerate and complete through some big males, but that is hard sledding against excellent defenders.
The Grizzlies have scored a rank 0.799 points per belongings when Morant shoots versus a switch, or passes to a colleague who fires right away– 114th amongst 129 ball handlers who have actually dealt with a minimum of 50 switches this season, per Second Spectrum. Challengers in the bubble are changing versus Morant on about 10 screens per 100 belongings, up from 6.2 in the past.
Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian reported on how former Blazer Anthony Tollivers seasoned leadership has helped the Grizzlies young players:
After an extreme stretch of games the Portland Trail Blazers were able squeak by the Memphis Grizzlies to earn the 8-seed and the all essential benefit in the 2-game play-in series. The Grizzlies got in Orlando with a 3.5 video game lead over the Blazers, but won only two of their eight seeding games. The Grizzlies will be without Jaren Jackson Jr. who scored 33 points versus Portland in that game. Lillard is balancing 37.6 points and 9.6 helps per game in Orlando while shooting 43.6 percent on 12.6 three-point efforts per video game. Saturdays video game will be the first video game in a week that isnt a must-win for Portland.
” Im still discovering to this day,” Morant stated. “I actually was speaking to Anthony Tolliver one night by the pool– he has a lot of years under his belt– and some of the stuff he tells me I do not even understand. He lastly had the time to explain it.
Morant desires to keep personal the precise context of that conversation, however he did use this:
” Thats my vet. … Whatever understanding I can take from (knowledgeable gamers), I accept it and do whatever I can with it.”
