The Grizzlies kicked off the start of a three-game West Coast road trip in Portland, where they annihilated the Trailblazers. With a final score of 134-89, Memphis heads to Los Angeles on a three-game winning streak.
This young Grizzlies team is no stranger to adversity and injuries, and the next-man-up mentality among the players has been on display. Star point guard Ja Morant is the latest addition to the injured list after suffering a right hip subluxation in last Wednesday’s match against the Lakers. Per Grizzlies PR, Morant’s status is listed as week to week.
The Portland Trailblazers have been, by all metrics, not a good team this season. But every win is a good win, and there is value even in beating a bad team. And the Grizzlies didn’t just beat Portland. They destroyed them.
The Blazers did not do themselves any favors with their abysmal three-point shooting and poor ball handling. They shot 9.5% from beyond the arc, making just four out of 42 attempts.
Memphis played a 12-man rotation, and every one of those players scored at least 3 points. Seven of them finished the night with double-digit scores. Fielding such a large rotation meant that no one played more than 29 minutes.
Turnovers continue to be an area of contention for the Grizzlies. That they gave up 18 points off of 23 turnovers and still won by 45 points speaks to how well they played. Memphis is missing many of the same players as last season, but the difference on the court has been like night and day.
One of the more interesting matchups was between rookies Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan. Clingan was one of the players that Memphis was interested in in the draft but was selected by Portland with the seventh overall pick. This led to Memphis picking up Edey instead, a choice that has already paid dividends for the Grizzlies.
Head coach Taylor Jenkins chose to start Brandon Clarke at the center position and bring Edey off the bench. Despite not being in the starting lineup, Edey still had an impressive showing, finishing the night with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four steals while shooting 5 of 7 overall and 1 of 1 from three-point range.
Four starters ended up scoring double-digits:
Jaren Jackson Jr. put up a team-high 20 points, and added seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
Scotty Pippen Jr. put up 17 points on 6 of 8 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds, and four assists.
Santi Aldama had 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Jaylen Wells also finished the night with 16 points, along with three rebounds.
From the second unit:
Jake LaRavia led the bench with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from three-point range.
Jay Huff closed out with 12 points, two rebounds, and six blocks.
Meanwhile, Yuki Kawamura is apparently a fan favorite in Portland as well as Memphis. The crowd at Moda Center cheered the loudest during his eight-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will continue on to Los Angeles, where they will face off against the Lakers on Wednesday. Tip-off will be at 9 PM CST, and I advise everyone watching from Memphis to get a nap in beforehand.
