Grizzlies 97, Trail Blazers 86
Jeff Green went 5-of-7 from 3-point range and collected 23 points and nine rebounds as Memphis held off visiting Portland.
Mike Conley added 21 points and nine assists while Zach Randolph scored 17 for the Grizzlies, who remain comfortably in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. Marc Gasol recorded 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Tony Allen piled up 10 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for Memphis.
Damian Lillard had 27 points and seven assists to lead the Trail Blazers, who have dropped four straight. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points in 18 minutes before leaving with a left hand injury as Portland dropped four games behind the Grizzlies, with the Houston Rockets in between.
The Trail Blazers scored the first 11 points of the second quarter to grab a 38-35 lead but the Grizzlies closed with 14 of the final 16 points to take a 53-44 lead into the half. Green’s fourth 3-pointer of the third quarter pushed the lead out to 71-53 with 4:30 left in the period.
Lillard scored 14 of Portland’s 18 third-quarter points, including five in the last 32 seconds that cut the deficit to 15 points heading into the final stanza. Lillard and Dorell Wright hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to 87-80 with 4:48 left but Randolph hit a rare 3-pointer to stretch it to 93-82 with 2:48 left and the Memphis put it away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Portland finished its five-game road trip with a 1-4 mark and is 16-18 on the road this season. … Randolph improved to 6-of-15 from 3-point range on the season. … Aldridge was taken for X-rays on the hand which came back negative, and he is considered day-to-day.