Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trailblazers: Toughest Test
The Memphis Grizzlies (13-2 overall, 5-2 on the road) are atop the Northwest Division of the Western Conference and playing lights out so far, but they likely face their toughest test to date as they travel to Portland tonight to take on the Portland Trailblazers.
The Trailblazers may not be blazing trails, but they lead they Northwest Division of the Western Conference, are 12-3 (including 8-1 at home), and have won nine games in a row!
Coming off the Thanksgiving holiday, we can only hope our Grizzlies were disciplined around the gobs of Turkey and Dressing, and that the Trailblazers were not! We’ll find out tonight in what could be a close, down-to-the-wire shootout in Portland.
Keep Your Eye On
The Grizzlies will need to keep their eye on power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge is an offensive thread averaging 21.2 points per game, but the 6′ 11′, 240 pound forward also averages 2.4 offensive rebounds per game, 6.7 defensive rebounds per game, and while no Anthony Davis, Aldridge is a force on defense with 1.3 blocked shots per game as well.
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The Grizzlies will also need to contain point guard Damian Lillard.
The 6′ 3′, 195 pound Lillard is also an offensive force averaging 20.1 ppg and a nice 6.5 assists per game.
It will be vital for the Grizzlies to try and interrupt the chemistry between Lillard and Aldridge, but to also contain the shooting of players such as shooting guard Wesley Matthews and strong forward Nicolas Batum.
Both Batum and Matthews are capable 3-point shooters, and as a matter of fact this whole Portland team is one of the best in the NBA in 3-pointers, both attempted and made! If too much attention is paid to the likes of Aldridge and Lillard, the Trailblazers certainly have other plays that can make the Grizzlies pay.
In short, the Grizzlies need to play tight on defense, mix up the man-to-man coverage with zone defense, confuse the Trailblazers and upset their rhythm.
Bench Depth
This should be an exciting game from the standpoint of how balanced and strong both these teams are, both offensively and defensively.
The Trailblazers move the ball faster around the arc, and are an overall faster team, but just barely. They are also a bit more efficient overall on both offense and defense than the Grizzlies, at least on paper.
Though the Trailblazers are perhaps just a touch better on paper, these two teams are exceedingly well-matched, and in the end this game could come down to how well each bench performs.
The Grizzlies starting five have to play well, but the Grizzlies will need to see above average play from their bench – Kosta Koufos, Quincy Pondexter, Jon Leuer, Beno Udrih, Vince Carter, and the returned to action Nick Calathes.
The Trailblazers will rely on Steve Blake, Chris Kaman, C.J. McCollum, Joel Freeman, Will Barton, and Allen Crabbe.
A comparison of the talent on the respective benches can be seen in the table below:
Memphis Grizzlies Bench
| Rk | Player | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Quincy Pondexter | 1.6 | 5.2 | .309 | 0.8 | 3.2 | .268 | 0.8 | 2.1 | .370 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 5.1 |
| 8 | Beno Udrih | 3.3 | 6.4 | .511 | 0.3 | 1.6 | .182 | 3.0 | 4.9 | .618 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 7.6 |
| 9 | Vince Carter | 2.2 | 6.4 | .348 | 1.0 | 3.4 | .298 | 1.2 | 3.0 | .405 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 5.7 |
| 10 | Kosta Koufos | 1.8 | 3.3 | .543 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 3.3 | .543 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 4.4 | |
| 11 | Jon Leuer | 2.3 | 4.7 | .485 | 0.1 | 0.4 | .333 | 2.1 | 4.3 | .500 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 5.3 |
| 13 | Nick Calathes | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/28/2014.
Portland Trailblazer’s Bench
| Rk | Player | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Steve Blake | 1.6 | 4.6 | .348 | 1.1 | 3.3 | .320 | 0.5 | 1.3 | .421 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 4.7 |
| 7 | Chris Kaman | 4.6 | 8.7 | .527 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 8.7 | .527 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 10.9 | |
| 8 | Allen Crabbe | 1.6 | 3.8 | .421 | 0.9 | 2.4 | .375 | 0.7 | 1.4 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 4.5 |
| 9 | C.J. McCollum | 1.5 | 3.9 | .372 | 1.0 | 2.2 | .458 | 0.5 | 1.7 | .263 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 5.0 |
| 10 | Joel Freeland | 1.1 | 2.5 | .433 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 2.5 | .433 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 2.8 | |
| 11 | Will Barton | 1.2 | 3.3 | .361 | 0.2 | 0.5 | .333 | 1.0 | 2.7 | .367 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/28/2014.
Final Truth and Prediction
These two teams are very evenly matched, with both their starting five and their bench depth, and it’s really anyone’s guess how this game will turn out. Marc Gasol will need to have a huge game, the Grizzlies will need to hold their own against the speed and precision of the Trailblazers, and the Grizzlies will need to think of ways to upset Portland’s rhythm.
This will be the toughest test so far this season for our Memphis Grizzlies, and thus a tough contest to predict. Perhaps I’m biased, but I’m going with the Grizzlies on this one, and I think while both these teams can score prolifically, their respective defenses could make this one a lower score than you might expect. I have the Grizzlies winning barely at 101-98.