For the second consecutive game, the Portland Trail Blazers — whose best players other than Shaedon Sharpe are out with injuries — found themselves as an 18-point underdog against a team earmarked for the postseason.
And for the second consecutive game, the young, G League-filled Blazers lineup made anyone with the guts to take them and the spread some cash.
However, unlike Sunday at Minnesota, the favored team on Tuesday night in Memphis avoided an embarrassing upset.
The Grizzlies outscored the Blazers 18-8 in the final eight minutes to turn a 101-101 tie into a 119-109 victory.
The Blazers managed to score just 14 points in the fourth quarter to blow a chance to pull off a second consecutive upset after winning 107-105 at the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Still, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups appeared to feel good about how his undermanned team performed.
“I love the way we played,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters. “We’re in a hostile territory. This is one of the best teams in the league, and in particular on their home floor. They came out and hit us pretty tough in that first quarter. And we took. Started to get back and do a better job in transition. Closed the gap at halftime. I just thought the rest of the way, we really competed.”
The Blazers trailed 41-25 after the first quarter by were down just 66-62 at halftime. They led by five early in the third quarter and 101-96 early in the fourth quarter. Soon after, the game began to slip away for the Blazers.
Skylar Mays, who signed with the team late last week, led the Blazers with 24 points. Shaedon Sharpe added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Jabari Walker came off the bench for 16 points.
Sharpe left the game with 7:52 to go and did not return.
The Grizzlies got 30 points from Desmond Bane, 23 from Ja Morant and 20 from Luke Kennard.
NEW ADDITIONS PRODUCE ONCE AGAIN
The Blazers signed forward Justin Minaya out of the G League to compensate for the growing injured list, and he came off the bench to score eight points with four rebounds and two assists.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Skylar Mays (8) shoots ahead of Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill) APAP
“I thought he played good,” Billups said. “He literally just got here. He was aggressive. He’s scrappy. He competes.”
Minaya, while with Mexico City, averaged 12.7 points in 27 games while shooting 48.7% from the field and 33% on three-pointers.
Mays, a point guard, once again looked like he belongs in the NBA. He had seven assists and eight rebounds to go along with his 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting.
“He’s an NBA player and there’s no question about it,” Billups said. “He plays the game from the neck up. It’s all IQ. Obviously, he has a higher level of skill to match that, but he plays the game the right way. He’s just smart. He’s crafty. He knows how to read situations. And it’s been a real treat having him.”
Guard Shaq Harrison put up 13 points and guard Jeenathan Williams started at forward and produced four points with three assists.
WHAT IT MEANS
The Trail Blazers (33-46) moved a step closer to securing the fifth-worst record in the NBA while the Grizzlies (50-29) further closed in on locking up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Blazers are now a game behind both Indiana (34-45), off Tuesday, and Orlando (34-45), which lost 117-113 to Cleveland (50-30).
NEXT UP
The Blazers play at the San Antonio Spurs (20-58) at 5 p.m. Thursday.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts
