The first-round series between the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies is a matchup of two benches with decidedly different roles.
Portland's reserve unit plays sparingly but is asked to provide scoring punch in spurts, while the Grizzlies bench played more minutes during the regular season and bolstered Memphis' defense.
The Blazers bench has been solid on a per minute basis this season, but the reserves are missing a few key parts because of injury. Dorell Wright is out with a fractured left hand and Arron Afflalo's status remains in question for Game 1 as he recovers from a right shoulder strain.