BLAZERS NIP FEISTY GRIZZ IN MEMPHIS

The Portland Trailblazers are fighting to improve their playoff seeding in the stretch run of the regular season, but on Tuesday night they got more than they bargained for from one of the worst teams in the NBA.  Memphis led the Blazers by 12 points at halftime, but Portland turned it on in the second half behind Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw to escape with a 96-93 road victory.

It took a 61-46 second half surge by the Blazers to get back in the game, but they didn’t seal the deal until Outlaw hit a 14 foot shot with 13 seconds remaining.   Brandon Roy stole the ball on the subsequent Grizzlies possession and hit two clutch free throws to produce the final margin of victory.  Roy led the Blazers with 24 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 15.  Portland received a solid effort from their bench, as reserves Rudy Fernandez (15), Outlaw (11) and Greg Oden (10) scored in double digits. Memphis was led by O.J. Mayo, who scored a game high 31 points.  Rudy Gay added 19 points, Hakkim Warrick went for 13 off the bench and Mike Conley scored 12. 

After the game, the Blazers’ Roy said that their substandard performance was a product of ‘growing pains’:

"This is new for us, clinching the playoffs with seven games left. We're just trying to figure out how to compete and play and stay motivated.  "We needed this game. It's important that we play to compete and play hard, and things like the playoffs and clinching and seeding won't matter."

Portland coach Nate McMillan wasn’t about to make excuses, saying simply “we got lucky”.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins, meanwhile, blamed his team’s defeat on a lack of defensive intensity:

"It really wasn't our offense, it was our defense. We broke down on the pick-and-roll defense a couple of times, and they got wide open layups."

Memphis faces a tough scheduling stretch, playing at Orlando on Wednesday, hosting the Phoenix Suns on Friday and traveling west to play the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.  Portland plays at San Antonio on Wednesday night before returning home to host the Los Angeles Lakers at the Rose Garden on Friday night.  They’ll be back on the road Saturday, playing the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.