The Portland Trail Blazers looked like a team overmatched in the first two losses of their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies. They hope a return home to the Pacific Northwest and their rabid fans at the former Rose Garden (Moda Center) will be just what they need to turn the tables on the Grizz.
Here's a sneak preview into what promises to be a huge Game 3 in Portland.
Projected Starting Lineups
(Stats compiled from 2015 NBA Playoffs totals)
(5) Memphis Grizzlies (55-27)
G Mike Conley – 17.0 ppg, 3.5 apg
G Courtney Lee – 13.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
F Tony Allen – 4.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
F Zach Randolph - 13.0 pg, 10.5 rpg
C Marc Gasol – 15.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 6.0 apg
(4) Portland Trail Blazers (51-31)
G Damian Lillard – 16.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
G Arron Afflalo – null
F Nicolas Batum – 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.5 apg
F LaMarcus Aldridge – 28.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg
C Robin Lopez – 6.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
What to watch for:
Can Portland's supporting cast come alive?
LaMarcus Aldridge has been dominant and Damian Lillard is bound to find his shooting stroke once again, but Portland's bench consistently let the team down in the first two games of the series. If guys like CJ McCollum (4 ppg) can't pick up on the short Blazers bench, a tired Portland team is going to get punched in the mouth in Game 3.
Memphis' balance has them in position
While Portland's injury-riddled roster tries to get a modicum of help from their thin bench, the Memphis Grizzlies are humming along with balanced production up and down the rotation. With Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph dominating the board and Mike Conley both shooting the lights out and creating on the move, this Memphis team looks to be in peak form.
Prediction: Grizzlies win 105-99
Home cooking with spur the Blazers' stars to make this a fight, but Memphis is too deep and too focused to let this one slip away.
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