Trail Blazers at Grizzlies
A pair of teams that have been climbing the ladder in the Western Conference meet Monday when Memphis hosts Portland in the fourth and final meeting between the squads. The Trail Blazers have won 10 of their last 13 and are coming off one of their most impressive triumphs of the season, a 17-point win at Houston on Saturday.
Damian Lillard had 21 points and 10 assists and Portland held the Rockets to 32.5 percent shooting, a season low for a Blazers' opponent. "That was a really good win," Portland coach Terry Stotts told the media. "Defensively we were solid all (game)." The Grizzlies had won nine of 10 and four in a row before falling in overtime to Dallas on Saturday, which also snapped their six-game home winning streak. After losing in Portland early in the season, Memphis has claimed the last two meetings, most recently a 91-78 decision on Jan. 4, when former Blazer Zach Randolph led the victors with 26 points and 18 rebounds.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (25-27): Portland has held five of its last six opponents under 100 points as defense keys the surge. Meanwhile, Lillard is playing some of his best basketball of the season with three straight double-doubles for the first time in his career. He and backcourt mate C.J. McCollum combined for 11 3-pointers in the first meeting with Memphis, but they went a collective 5-of-27 from beyond the arc in the next two.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (30-21): Forward Jeff Green missed all four of his 3-point tries and was 4-of-14 overall in an off night against Dallas, ending a solid run for the veteran. He averaged 19 points in 28 minutes in 10 games after being moved to the bench in the middle of January, sparking his team's 9-1 run. Matt Barnes, who was also transferred to a reserve role last month after an extended stretch in the starting lineup, picked up some of the slack against Dallas with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies SG Courtney Lee is 14-of-25 from 3-point range over a seven-game span.
2. With a win, Memphis would take the season series for the fourth straight time.
3. Portland PF Noah Vonleh has missed two games in a row with an ankle injury.