Memphis starts the NBA restart with a 3.5-game lead over the field for the final playoff spot. Portland is one of those teams chasing the Grizzlies, and gets a chance to close some ground Friday. However, the Trail Blazers will be without a few key players in the bubble, so the Grizzlies will continue to defy expectations with their balanced approach.
The race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference is the most intriguing storyline within the seeding games during the NBA restart. The question seems not to be whether Memphis can avoid a play-in game, but rather which two teams will play in that best-of-two tournament for the chance to make the playoffs. We’ll start to get a sense of how things will shake out Friday at 4 p.m. when the Grizzlies face the Portland Trail Blazers, one of those teams chasing them for the eighth seed. Memphis won the only meeting between the teams this year comfortably, taking control of the game midway through the first quarter and never looking back. The Trail Blazers weren’t expected to return to the conference finals this year given the changes in the Western Conference, but few expected them to be battling for their postseason lives in mid-March. Portland was eight games under .500 and three wins behind Memphis for the eighth spot when the season was halted due to the pandemic. It strung together three straight wins just three times this season with a season-high streak of four consecutive triumphs. The losses came despite the fact their top-two scoring guards – Damian Lillard and C.J. McCoullum – lived up to their billing and averaged 51 points per game combined. The real culprit was a defense that ranked 27th out of 30 NBA teams in points allowed per 100 possessions as they allowed the third-most points per game in the West. Meanwhile, Memphis is a steady ship with its young core headlined by guard Ja Morant. The rookie has played like a No. 2 overall draft pick 17.6 points and 6.9 assists per game this year, but he’s also gotten help from players who would be role guys on almost every other team. When the Grizzlies are at their best, they are a true definition of team basketball. Portland has enough talent on the roster to scare me, but this Memphis team just seems to be a cohesive unit. Morant is a superstar in the making, and everyone else plays their role super well and is capable of stepping up when called upon. So I’ll disagree with the sportsbooks who assume Lillard and McCollum are going to carry the Blazers into the playoffs, and take the Grizzlies at +112 on the moneyline at 888Sport.
