The Portland Trail Blazers were simply outclassed in the first two games of their Western Conference quarterfinal series with the Memphis Grizzlies. They put up a much more spirited fight in Game 3 with a late rally in front of a rabid home crowd at the Moda Center, but a 6-0 Memphis counterpunch run and bad early defense by the Blazers proved Portland's undoing in a crushing 115-109 defeat.
Memphis now has a stranglehold on the proceedings with a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Key Numbers: 6 seconds, 39-of-43
The Memphis Grizzlies are a patient bunch on offense, and they absolutely killed the Blazers late in the shot clock on Saturday. Take a look back at the game tape and check out just how many times Memphis kicked its offense into high gear with the shot clock under six seconds.
Their ability to wait out the Blazers' defense and find the best possible shot was once again the different for the "Grit and Grind" Grizzlies.
In addition to all of that, Memphis shot an insane 39-of-43 from the free-throw stripe to keep the Blazers at arm's length all night long.
Memphis MVPs:
You can't single out one guy on this Memphis squad as game MVP thanks mostly to the Grizzlies' penchant for unselfish basketball on the offensive side of the floor. Marc Gasol led all Memphis scorers with 25 points and generally dominated, but four other Grizzlies players joined him with double-digit points on the night - Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Zach Randolph, and Nick Calathes.
Call it a five-way tie for tonight's Grizzlies MVP honors.
Portland MVP:
Damian Lillard put together an 22-point night on a cool 9-of-17 shooting from the floor, but he disappeared late with just two points in the 4th quarter. Give the MVP nod to Nicolas Batum with a game-high 27 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.
What's Next?
A desperate Portland team looks to steal a game from a steamrolling Memphis squad in Monday's Game 4 in Portland. However, Grizzlies guard Mike Conley's status is up in the air after being elbowed in the face on Saturday, so the playing field may be much more even than some expect if Conley can't go.
Tipoff is slated for shortly after 7:30pm Pacific time.
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