The Portland Trail Blazers are continuing their long road trip with a move back into the Western Conference for a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies today. Portland is coming into this game 1-2 on the road trip so
far, picking up a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers and losing to the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
The Grizzlies currently sit ninth in the Western Conference standings, one spot above the Blazers, and are coming off a win in their most recent game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
What You Need to Know
Portland Trail Blazers (9-14) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (10-13) – Sun., Dec. 7 – 3:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
Trail Blazers injuries: Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley, Jrue Holiday (out); Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III (questionable)
Grizzlies injuries: Scottie Pippen Jr., Brandon Clarke, Ty Jerome, Javon Small (out); Ja Morant (doubtful)
What to Watch For:
Controlling the boards. The Blazers and Grizzlies are both bottom-of-the-barrel teams when it comes to efficiency. Memphis is 26th in field goal percentage and 28th in three-point percentage, only a few spots above the Blazers, who sit 29th in both. How both these teams remedy that is by crashing the glass. Portland grabs 15 offensive rebounds per game, good for second in the NBA, and 46 total rebounds, which is fourth in the NBA. Memphis sits third in the NBA with 46.4 rebounds per game, but is at just 11.6 offensive rebounds, which puts them 14th.
Against a top rebounding team like the Blazers, that middle-of-the-pack offensive rebounding number could hurt the Grizzlies if Portland is able to limit them to one chance on their possessions.
Ball Movement. This marks yet another game that Portland is playing without a true point guard. That is reflected in their assist-per-game number of 24.8, ranking the Blazers 25th in the NBA. Deni Avdija has done an impressive job as the de facto point guard through the injuries and has posted double-digit assists four times in the last three weeks, including two triple-doubles. His gravity when he drives to the rim forces defenders to leave three-point threats open for Deni to find. Whether or not those players make the shot is a different story for the Blazers. However, with enough open shots created by Avdija’s play, surely some will fall throughout the game.
Where Portland really feels the lack of a point guard is when Avdija rests. Without him on the court, the offense risks becoming stagnant and devolving into constant isos or ill-advised shots. Being able to stay afloat during the stretches without Avdija would do a lot for the Blazers’ chances in this contest.
What Others Are Saying:
Bryant Love of the Beale Street Bears talks about the impact Zach Edey has had for the Grizzlies so far this season.
Zach Edey has delivered an immediate two-way impact with several impressive offensive performances, all while being an anchor on defense with his shot blocking and rebounding abilities. When Edey was out at the beginning of the season, the Grizzlies relied heavily on Jock Landale for rebounding, but they also discovered the backup big man could shoot a very accurate three-pointer.
That said, Edey’s return has done nothing but elevate the team so far. Since his return on November 15th in Cleveland, the Grizzlies have won six out of their last ten games. He helped Memphis snap an almost two-year California losing streak with a win over the Clippers in Los Angeles, then carried the momentum northward to Sacramento, where he had an outstanding performance. Against the Kings, Edey recorded a career-high 32 points, shooting 80% from the field, along with 17 rebounds and five blocks.
