The Portland Trail Blazers avoided a humiliating sweep at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. But they’re still in a deep 3-1 hole in the series and play their next game at FedEx Forum, where they’ve mostly struggled. Will pressure bring out the best in the Blazers? Read on for everything you need to know for Game 5 of this series.
Get some more NBA playoff action. Check out our complete previews for the Bulls vs. Bucks and Nets vs. Hawks.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Game 5 Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 — April 19 – Portland Trail Blazers 86 at Memphis Grizzlies 100
Game 2 — April 22 – Portland Trail Blazers 82 at Memphis Grizzlies 97
Game 3 — April 25 – Memphis Grizzlies 115 at Portland Trail Blazers 109
Game 4 — April 27 – Memphis Grizzlies 92 at Portland Trail Blazers 99
Game 5 — April 29, Time TBD, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies – view all NBA lines
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
Thanks to Damian Lillard, the Blazers extended their season for at least one more game. Lillard scored a game-high 32 points for a 99-92 Game 4 victory at Portland. He scored 12 of those points in the final 8:48 of the game, as much as the whole Grizzlies team combined during that span.
[sc:NBA240banner ]C.J. McCollum gave plenty of help off the bench. McCollum had 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting (2-of-2 from three). Meyers Leonard also had an excellent game among Portland’s reserves, finishing with a double-double (13 points and 13 rebounds).
Having some production off the bench should help cover lackluster outings from star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. He has averaged 23.8 points in the series thus far but is shooting just 34 percent from the field. If the Blazers are to keep pace with the Grizzlies, they’ll need Aldridge to pick his spots well.
The Blazers also need better defense against opposing point guards. Grizzlies reserve point guards Beno Udrih (14.3 points per game), Nick Calathes (12.5) and starter Mike Conley (16) have had excellent scoring nights against Portland in this series.
Portland has lost their last six games on the road, both straight up and against the spread.
Think there’s some fight left in these Blazers? Create a betting account now and back your pick.
Betting on the Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies led by as much as 10 points in the fourth quarter in Game 4 but let it slip away. But Memphis does have the consolation of possibly closing out the series at home Wednesday night. The Grizzlies have won six straight home games (5-1 ATS) against Portland.
Memphis also has Beno Udrih back. He was excellent in the two home victories against the Blazers, scoring 30 points on 23-of-31 shooting in 43 minutes of play. Expect him to log in more minutes with Mike Conley possibly sitting out due to his facial surgery.
Memphis also has a capable backup off the bench in Nick Calathes, who started in Conley’s place in Game 4. Calathes finished with 12 points on four three-pointers in his first career playoff start. It was also his first start of the season. Courtney Lee also gives the Grizzlies backcourt a much needed scoring punch. He’s averaging 19 points in the last three games of the series thus far.
The Memphis backcourt has made up for a relatively tame performance from the frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. While Gasol is averaging 19 points and Randolph 13.5 in the series thus far, they’ve shot just 38 and 34 percent respectively in the series.
The Grizzlies are 7-1 SU/ATS in eight games against Portland dating back to the regular season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Grizzlies close off the series with a double-digit win.
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