Trail Blazers at Grizzlies
The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to persevere through a tough road stretch as they play the third contest of the arduous slate when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Portland is in the midst of a five-game road trip as part of a span in which it plays eight of nine away from home.
The Trail Blazers dropped to 5-7 on the road this season by suffering a 115-107 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, and a horrid third quarter in which they were outscored 34-18 sabotaged the performance. "We felt like we had a good thing going," Portland center Mason Plumlee told reporters afterward. "We had strung some games together, and I don't think this is the one we should have dropped it on. We let them play to their strengths." The Grizzlies have been ravaged by injuries but have rattled off four consecutive victories and won 11 of their last 14. Having star center Marc Gasol as one of the healthy players doesn't hurt, as he recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 96-91 victory over Philadelphia for his second straight double-double and fourth of the season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (12-11): The loss to Milwaukee was just the second in the last six games for Portland, which made 17 3-pointers but committed 16 turnovers. Eight of the miscues occurred in the final quarter, and there was a plethora of defensive breakdowns that allowed the Bucks to score 64 second-half points, but swingman Allen Crabbe said the setback shouldn't prompt concerns. "Just one of 82 (games)," he told reporters. "I don't think we went in the wrong direction. I think we put ourselves in position to win, it just didn't go our way."
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (15-8): Power forward Zach Randolph returned to the club for Tuesday's victory over the 76ers after missing seven games due to the death of his mother, Mae. Randolph, who contributed 12 points and 14 rebounds, was highly emotional during and after the contest. "My mom was great, man. My mom was all I had, all we had," Randolph told reporters. "This is what I did it for. She was the rock of this family. It's just tough, but I'm going to continue to go hard for her and leave it all out there and do it for her. ... She was my No. 1 fan. She watched every game. My phone would be ringing now."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Trail Blazers SG C.J. McCollum matched his career high of 37 points in a 100-94 victory over the Grizzlies on Nov. 6.
2. Standout Portland PG Damian Lillard scored exactly 30 points in each of the last two games and has tallied 30 or more on 10 occasions this season.
3. Memphis swingman Vince Carter (hip) is listed as questionable after missing the previous five games.