Memphis Grizzlies: Previewing The Four-Game Road Trip
By Chris Kern
Portland Trail Blazers
The Memphis Grizzlies won the first meeting and it was because of their defense. They absolutely locked down Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic.
McCollum had a huge day but outside of him, nobody on this team shot the ball well at all. He scored 40 of the teams 83 points.
Nurkic finished with just two points on 1-15 shooting. That isn’t a typo, he made just one of his fifteen shot attempts in this game.
He was guarded by none other than Defensive Player of the Year candidate Marc Gasol. At a time when his offense had been struggling, he made a statement with this defensive performance.
In that game, Gasol had one steal and six blocks. His defense was amazing but the teams’ defense on Lillard might’ve been even more impressive.
They held him to just 14 points on 4-18 shooting. This was his second-lowest scoring total of the season while his four made shots were a season-low for him.
For Memphis to get another win over this Portland team it’s going to take another great all-around defensive performance.
Ideally, that would include defending McCollum better but if they can keep everyone else in check then it doesn’t matter how much he scores.
It will take a good effort on the boards as well. In the first game, it was tied at 57 but Memphis has been struggling in that area so it’s always a point of emphasis for this team.
Portland is one of the best rebounding teams in the league so if they could have it tied like they did the last meeting they would be more than satisfied.
So far this season the Trail Blazers are 2nd in the league with 48.8 rebounds per game. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, are dead last in rebounding at 39.5 rebounds per game.
This is a very winnable game for this Memphis team. Looking at this road-trip you would like to somehow go 2-2.
For that to happen that may need to include a win in Portland. They will likely be underdogs in all four games but this is a team they have already beaten and will have confidence that they can beat them again.
If the Grizzlies come in with the same intensity defensively and on the glass that they brought in the first game then they will have a really good chance at a road win over the Trail Blazers.