In many ways, it didn’t seem like Saturday would be the Portland Trail Blazers’ night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
That feeling started pregame, as long injury reports — and the fact it was the second meeting between the teams in 48 hours — brought to the matchup the wonky energy usually reserved for the tanktastic NBA days of late March. Notable scratches for the Blazers included All-Star Deni Avdija and guards Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, while the injury-ravaged, newly remodeled Grizzlies fielded a Who-He-Play-For roster of bench pieces.
The feeling continued into the game, as those same unheralded Grizzlies shot lights out through three quarters (13-26 on 3s) and Portland didn’t look sharp. Memphis forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, a career 27.9% 3-point shooter, went 7-8 from deep alone, and the Grizzlies led by nine early in the fourth quarter.
Just as it appeared most certain a frustrating loss was coming on their home floor, the Blazers burst through the malaise. Powered by a tightened defense, some two-way contract spark and the sweet shooting of Jerami Grant, the Blazers rallied back to seize a 122-115 win.
“Finally, we had a good quarter on defense,” Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said.
After allowing Memphis to shoot a blistering 72.2% in the second quarter and 57.1% in the third, the Blazers held the Grizzlies to just 27.3% shooting in the fourth quarter. After giving up at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters, Portland outscored Memphis 34-19 in the final period.
“They were too comfortable the first three quarters,” said Portland center Donovan Clingan, who posted a monster 20 points and 19 rebounds. “Just being able to guard and run guys off the line was important for us.”
Not only did the Blazers defense turn things around when it mattered most, but so did two-way contract guard Caleb Love. The 6-foot-3 guard’s stat line early in the fourth quarter stood at 3-12 from the field and 1-8 on 3s. But he broke through with a team-high 10 points from there, finding his stroke on two 3-pointers and getting to the rack. Love also dished out four assists in the quarter — all part of a 17-point, eight-assist performance.
Love’s first buckets — an individual 5-0 run around the 9:30 mark — breathed new life into Portland and cut the deficit to 101-97. Love’s last bucket — a steal and breakaway layup at the 5:59 mark — gave the Blazers their first lead since early in the third quarter.
It was a fitting storyline for Love to play a big role in the win. After becoming a mainstay in the rotation and going on a scoring tear in January, he has seen his minutes dramatically reduced lately as Portland’s injury-plagued backcourt has gotten healthier. When Henderson made his season debut in Friday’s first matchup against Memphis, Love didn’t even suit up because the Blazers are attempting to savor his remaining eligibility (as a two-way, he has just six available NBA games left before the Blazers have to convert him to a standard contract or relegate him to the G League). It marked the first time in 41 consecutive games Love didn’t take the floor.
But with the opportunity for big minutes opening up just a day later, the rookie displayed his professionalism by stepping up and delivering again.
“He’s gotta be a pro,” said Splitter, referring to what he told Love to help him transition to his new minutes situation. “And he got it. He understands. He knows he’s not gonna to be available every game because we’ve got a bunch of guards that were out. And when they’re out … he’s gonna have shots, he’s gonna have the ball, he’s gonna have the responsibility to carry us.”
“It’s all building character,” Love added. “It’s all a part of the story. My road hasn’t been easy. I haven’t gotten the accolades or the rewards that I feel like I deserved. But like I said, I’m just gonna keep chopping wood, keep coming, being a professional, coming in, putting in work and just staying ready.”
With Love starting the comeback, Grant brought the Blazers home. The veteran forward had paced Portland with 21 first-half points. Then in the final minutes, as Portland clung to a narrow lead, he buried back-to-back triples from the left corner to put the game on ice. The clutch buckets brought Grant’s final stat line to 29 points on 10-17 shooting and 6-10 gunning from deep.
Blazers starting guard Jrue Holiday provided 21 points and four assists on 8-13 shooting. Toumani Camara and Sidy Cissoko added eight and seven points, respectively, while supplying their usual defensive hounding. And newest Blazer Vit Krejci reached double-figures for the second night in a row with 10 points, four assists and two steals.
On the wonky second night of a back-to-back without Avdija, Sharpe, Scoot and others, the Blazers did good to find a way to win — especially considering they had lost six straight heading into this mini-series against Memphis. Now they’ll move onward, winners of two straight, and hope the cavalry returns soon.