On Friday at FedExForum, the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 122-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, thanks in large part to a stellar third quarter. The Blazers outscored Memphis 40-27 in the third.
When asked how the team would bounce back from the 30-point loss at home, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins seemed visibly upset and uttered, “We have to — this is embarrassing.”
How embarrassing was it, though? Both teams have been impacted by injuries and were missing key players.
For Jenkins, missing key players was not an excuse for the team’s performance against Portland: “They played extremely well, and we didn’t have it. We played poorly.”
Rookie GG Jackson II who finished with 11 points off the bench on Friday night didn’t like the feeling of letting the fans down.
“You see your fans leaving with like eight minutes left in the game —that really sticks to us as players,” said Jackson II. “They want to come see us play. That’s kind of like them slapping us in our face saying, ‘We don’t want to see you play.’ We got to change that.”
The Grizzlies have dropped their third straight game and 12th in their last 14. For an organization that finished second in the West the previous two years, it is a huge letdown.
Jake LaRavia has been mired with injuries most of his tenure with the Grizzlies. As a reserve on Friday, he led the Grizzlies with a career-high 21 points, going 7-for-13 from the field.
The second-year forward’s play was one bright spot for Jenkins on the night. “It was really encouraging,” Jenkins said of LaRavia’s performance. “I thought he came out aggressive — shooting the 3-ball, getting downhill, getting to the free throw line, [and] a couple assists. I thought he did some good things defensively. Definitely some things that [he] can clean up on the defensive end; playing a little bit more physical on the ball, better one-on-one. I think, as a team, we just got embarrassed one-on-one, but he was a bright spot for sure. Love his movement off the ball, movement with the ball, but being aggressive, that was the biggest takeaway.”
The 22-year-old forward is averaging 9.8 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal in four games since returning from an ankle injury.
Lamar Stevens had a season-high 19 points off the bench. With no starter scoring more than 10 points for the Grizzlies, Stevens and LaRavia tried their best to carry the load.
Since joining the Grizzlies prior to the trade deadline, Stevens has been a reliable frontcourt player. In his last seven games for the team, he has shot 56.3% from the field while averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block in just 20.7 minutes per game.
Up Next
Like deja vu, both teams will play again tonight, at FedExForum with a 7 pm tip-off.
The Grizzlies will look to put up a better performance in front of the home crowd. “Every loss motivates a basketball player, but this one in particular definitely motivates us,” Jackson II said after Friday’s blowout loss.
