Play-In Set: No. 8 Portland vs. No. 9 Memphis
It came down to the wire, but the Blazers got the win they had to have in order to keep their season alive, as they defeated the Nets 134-133 to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference Play-In. Damian Lillard poured in 42 points and 12 assists, CJ McCollum added 25 points and Jusuf Nurkic posted 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blazers past a playoff-bound Nets squad led by Caris LeVert’s 36 points.
The Blazers win drops the Grizzlies to the No. 9 seed in the Play-In, meaning they will have to beat the Blazers twice this weekend in order to secure the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and a matchup with the top seeded Lakers. The Blazers win also ends the season for the Phoenix Suns, who went 8-0 in the restart and become the first team in NBA history to end the season on an eight-game win streak and miss the playoffs.
By holding the No. 8 seed, the Blazers will only have to beat the Grizzlies once in order to lock up the a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive season. The Blazers get their first chance to advance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Play-In on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 2:30 ET on ABC. If a second game is needed, it will be played on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 4:30 ET on ESPN.
The Blazers and Grizzlies met in the first game of the restart for both teams with Portland earning a 140-135 win in overtime behind 62 combined points from McCollum and Lillard. Jaren Jackson Jr. (who is now out for the season) led the Grizzlies with 33 points while Ja Morant had a double-double with 22 points and 11 assists.
