The Portland Trail Blazers entered the NBA season restart needing to stay within four games of the 8th-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in order to earn the right to play for a spot in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Deepening the drama, Memphis was Portland’s scheduled opponent for Game 1. A win would turn the eight-game season conclusion into a dogfight. A loss would make the outlook bleak.
Portland stepped up to the occasion, riding a team effort to a 140-135 overtime victory. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 62 points, but incredible efforts from Jusuf Nurkic, Gary Trent Jr.