The Memphis Grizzlies opened their postseason campaign on Sunday by taking the hapless Portland Trail Blazers to the woodshed for a commanding 100-86 Game 1 victory. Will Memphis get a 2-0 lead before heading to Portland for Game 3? Or will the Blazers shoot better this time around and even the series up? Read on for more about this game below. You can also click here for Game 2 of the series between the Nets and the Hawks.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 — April 19 Portland Trail Blazers 86 at Memphis Grizzlies 100
Game 2 — April 22, 8:00 PM ET, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies – view all NBA lines
Game 3 — April 25, 10:30 PM ET, Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers
Game 4 — April 27, 10:30 PM ET, Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers
Game 5* — April 29, Time TBD, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies
Game 6* — May 1, Time TBD, Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers
Game 7* — May 3, Time TBD, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies
* If necessary
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland’s Game 1 loss to Memphis made it apparent that it’ll take more than the duo of LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard for the Blazers to survive in the playoffs. That said, Portland’s chances in this series remain mostly hinged on how well Aldridge and Lillard will play moving forward.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Aldridge led the Blazers in the series opener with 32 points, but had an ugly 13-for-34 shooting night. He also grabbed 14 rebounds and made four blocks. Lillard, meanwhile, finished with just 14 points on just 5-for-21 shooting from the field. Nicolas Batum was the only other Blazer who scored in double figures with 15 points.
If Portland is to recover from its Game 1 loss, it’ll have to get significant productions beyond those three players. Hopefully for the Blazers, guys like C.J. McCollum, Allen Crabbe, and Chris Kaman will all step up in Game 2. McCollum shot just 1-for-8 on Sunday and finished with only two points, while Crabbe and Kaman scored just seven points apiece off the bench. Overall, the Blazers went a horrid 32-of-95 (33.7%) from the field in Game 1.
Aaron Afflalo, who didn’t play in Game 1, is still considered doubtful to play on Wednesday. If he’ll eventually be cleared to play, he’ll likely replace McCollum in the starting unit. Afflalo averaged 10.6 points over the last seven games he played in the regular season.
The under is 6-4 in Portland’s last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Memphis Grizzlies
The playoffs often get the best out of players. Go ask Beno Udrih about that and he’ll tell you the night he scored 20 points off the bench in Game 1 of the first round series against Portland.
Whether Udrih can be as prolific again in Game 2 remains to be seen. What’s more likely is that the Grizzlies’ inside game will continue to give Portland massive headaches.
In Game 1, Memphis imposed its will inside the paint, as the Grizzlies scored 52 points in the region. Marc Gasol scored 10 of his 15 points in the shaded area. Mike Conley, meanwhile, found clear paths to the basket as he made 12 of his 16 points there, too.
Portland isn’t really known for its rim protection, and Memphis was smart enough to take advantage of the Blazers’ weak interior defense. After all Memphis have had tons of success challenging Portland’s big men in the regular season, wherein the Grizzlies averaged 45.5 points in the paint in four meetings.
Defensively, Memphis’ focus is on stopping Aldridge. As mentioned, Aldridge took 34 shots in Game 1—the most the Grizzlies allowed in the playoffs ever. Memphis can’t afford Aldridge to get in the zone, thus it would be best for the Grizzlies to limit the Portland big man’s touches. Aldridge averaged 22.3 points on 47.2 percent shooting in four meetings with Memphis in the regular season.
Writer’s Prediction
Memphis wins, 102-98.
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