Grizzlies Comeback Falls Short in Rip City

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Grind City vs Rip City Game Notes:

The Memphis Grizzlies had yet another disappointing loss last night in Rip City against a Portland Trailblazers team which they had beaten in 6 of the last 8 contests. Memphis was only down 4 at the end of the 1st quarter but a 34-32 2nd quarter by Portland made the score 56-62 Portland at the half. The Grizzlies won the 3rd quarter by 5 but a 15 point 4th quarter by Damian Lillard sealed the loss for Memphis.

 

The Grizzlies hurt themselves throughout the game. Obviously we’ve learned that trading their 3’s for our 2’s doesn’t equal to a win for the Grizz. Going down by 18 in the 2nd quarter and having to claw their way back into the game, expending copious amounts of energy doing so, leads to mental breakdowns later in the game. If they weren’t so mentally and physically drained from trying to climb back up out of the hole they dug for themselves, then surely the execution in the second half of the game would be better, negating any atrocious calls in the waning seconds of the game which might cost them the win (I’m looking at you Tony Brothers).

 

Stats Breakdown:

 

Memphis:

*Unfortunately another Marc Gasol All Star level game was lost last night. Gasol ended the night with 32 points, was a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe, had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and blocked 4 shots, 3 of those in the first half. The Grizzlies only 3 time All Star is doing his part to carry the team and be more aggressive as Coach Fizdale has implored him to do. It’s unfortunate that in the last 5 games that Gasol has scored 28 or more points, the Grizzlies have lost 3 of those games.

 

*Mike Conley is not quite himself after coming back from his back injury. It could just be a case of coming back too soon…or it could be a long slump. He notched 17 points (3-8 from beyond the arc), went 4-5 from the line, and had a game high 10 assists against the Blazers.

 

*Vince Carter, the Ageless One, had a great night. After turning 40 on Thursday, Carter seems intent on proving that age is just a number. He had 13 points (4-8 from the field, 1-1 from beyond the arc), was a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe, had 2 offensive boards, 1 assist, and a steal off the bench. He was very aggressive offensively and continues to give his all each time he hits that hardwood.

 

*Zach Randolph had another double-double with 17 points (8-11 from the field) and 13 rebounds. He also had 3 assists and 1 steal. Zbo is continuing his slow and steady play day in and day out.

 

*JaMychal Green ended the night with 10 points (2-3 from the field), was 6-7 from the free throw line, grabbed 5 boards and had 1 assist.

 

Portland:

*Portland came into the game averaging 33 free throw attempts in their last two games. The Grizzlies held them to 21 attempts, but Portland converted 20 of those. By contrast, Memphis only converted 26 of 33 from the charity stripe.

 

*One of the Grizzlies pregame tips was ‘Beware of Dame’ but unfortunately it seems Memphis missed the memo. Damian Lillard had another great night against Memphis, ending the game with 33 points (5-11 from beyond the arc), was 10-11 from the charity stripe, had 5 boards, and notched 6 assists. Lillard wasn’t playing around last night. He played like a guy with something to prove after his All Star snub.

 

*Allen Crabbe had 23 points off the bench for the Blazers. This was just his 3rd 20 point game of the season. He previously averaged 10 a game coming into the night (6.5 against Memphis this season). He was on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 6-8. Yet again another player the Grizz had previously been able to keep in check managed to have a monster game against them.

 

*Other problems for Memphis were CJ McCollum (18 points and 4 rebounds), Mason Plumlee (13 points with 10 boards), and Al-Farouq Aminu (12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 big blocks).

 

 

Tidbits and Reactions:

*Portland takes the season series 2-1.

*Memphis is now 27-21 on the season. They are averaging 99.7ppg and allowing 99.4ppg.

*Hmmmm well this is interesting…

*For all of the Tony Allen detractors out there…

*There’s this…

*Gee thanks Tony Brothers…

*Consistency? What is this “consistency” you speak of?

*I would be remiss if I left out the fact that Festus Ezeli doesn’t know what his game crew looks like…

 

Next Up:

 

The Grizz will look to bounce back from their tough loss to the Blazers tonight against the 30-18 Utah Jazz. Memphis has taken 2-3 meetings this season. Utah hasn’t played since Thursday when they dispatched of the Lakers behind 24 points from newly minted All Star Gordon Hayward. Against the Grizz this season, Hayward has averaged 19 points per game. It’s imperative that they put a lid on Hayward early.

 

This will be a battle between two of the best bigs in the game in Gasol and Gobert. Gobert is averaging 12.8 points, 12.6 boards, and 2.6 blocks per game. Of course our own Big Spain is having a tremendous series of games recently himself and just earned an All Star nod for the third time.

 

Rodney Hood is coming off an injury and is still a little rusty, but he has been known to give the Grizzlies problems on the court. George Hill has only played in one of the 3 games vs Memphis this season but had 15 points while shooting 40% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc in that game. Hill has been going through a slight slump recently, but is liable to break out at any time.

 

It’s no secret that the Grizzlies defense has struggled mightily recently. In the last 12 games, Memphis is giving up 105.8ppg. If they expect to leave Utah with a win, they have no choice but to get back to their defensive roots.

 

Who: Memphis Grizzlies vs Utah Jazz

When: Saturday, January 28

What Time: 8:00 PM CST

Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

How to Watch/Listen: Fox Sports Southeast, 92.9 ESPN Memphis

 

 

 

Elizabeth Smith

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