The Memphis Grizzlies (4-6) came out on top in this Friday night thriller versus Portland Trail-Blazers (4-6) which ended with a final score of 101-100
This game was neck and neck the whole way with 11 lead changes and came right down to the last posession to determine a winner. Zach Randolph managed to get a put-back shot to go in with only .6 seconds left on the clock, in order to seal the deal for the Grizzlies.
Portland played a solid game all around and would have had the win thanks to a strong fourth quarter, if it were not for Randolph's last second winner. C.J. McCollum led the Blazers in scoring with 26 points on 7-14 shooting. He also added six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Damian Lillard had a poor shooting night, going only 5-15 , but still finished with 11 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals. Al-Farouq Aminu dropped 16 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Ed Davis was valuable off the bench against his old team, with seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks, in only 18 minutes.
Memphis was led by their monstrous front-court, as Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph got it done for their team on this Friday night. Gasol played a whopping 40 minutes and finished with a big 31 points on 11-18 shooting, he also grabbed four rebounds and dished five assists. Randolph scored 15 points and tallied eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in 28 minutes. Jeff Green added 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench. Mike Conley struggled shooting but finished with 11 points and nine assists. Mario Chalmers made his debut for the Grizz, scoring 11 points, two asssists and four steals in 19 minutes off the bench. Chalmers will give the Grizzlies some much needed depth in the back-court.
Next up for the Grizzlies is a visit to Minnesota on Sunday, where they will face-off against the up-and-coming Timberwolves. Portland, on the other hand, will be in Charlotte on Saturday and will have their hands full with the energetic Hornets teams, which includes former Blazer Nic Batum.
