 Rasheed Wallace once again led the Trail Blazers in scoring. Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images 56k | 300k |
Wallace did most of his damage in the first half. But he had a big dunk in the final minutes and made a spectacular 3-pointer from the top of the key that sealed the Blazers' fourth win in the last six games.
"It was a good game, a real good game, and everybody played hard as a team," Wallace said. "We played really good defense and we stopped them in the fourth."
Already missing starting point guard Damon Stoudamire, who went on the injured list Tuesday, the Blazers were without Scottie Pippen, who sat out with a right knee contusion.
Pippen played the point Tuesday at New York and his replacements, Erick Barkley and Rick Brunson, held Jason Williams in check. Memphis' flashy point guard had eight points on 4-of-12 shooting and three assists in 30 minutes.
During six unsuccessful seasons in Vancouver, the Grizzlies never opened a campaign with eight straight losses. Their worst start had been 0-7 in the 1996-97 season.
The game was tied, 67-67, through three quarters and the Grizzlies stayed in it through the first six minutes of the final period.
The Blazers stepped it up defensively in the fourth quarter, forcing 15 turnovers and outscoring the Grizzlies, 34-18.
"We were going out after loose balls," Portland guard Derek Anderson said. "We were diving after loose balls. It takes team defense, and Brunson and Barkley did a great job running the show."
"We just wanted to get some stops," Portland forward Bonzi Wells added. "We stopped them down the stretch four or five times in a row. We just wanted to knock the air out of them."
Fourth-quarter meltdowns are nothing new for Memphis. In six of their first seven games, the Grizzlies have been close after three quarters only to fall apart in the final 12 minutes.
"We were right there in the fourth quarter," said forward Lorenzen Wright, who collected 12 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. "Everybody needs to learn how to dig deep in the fourth quarter. We've got to get all the loose balls and all the rebounds.
"We've got to do all the little things it takes to win the game, and right now we're not doing it. I play as hard as I can, but it's hard."
Nick Anderson's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 83-81 with 5:16 to play, but on Memphis' next two possessions, Williams missed a six-foot jumper and a desperation 3-pointer that resulted in a shot clock violation with 4:26 remaining.
The Grizzlies never threatened thereafter as Portland closed with a 18-4 run.
In addition to Wallace's shots down the stretch, Derek Anderson scored of his 18 points in a 90-second span to close out Memphis.
Memphis wasted an outstanding performance by rookie Shane Battier, who scored a season-high 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
"My shot was there," Battier said. "I think we played well as a team, we just haven't figured out the fourth quarter. We've been close and we just can't get over that hump."
The Grizzlies, who entered the game shooting an NBA-worst 39.3 percent, connected on 35-of-77 attempts from the field (45.5 percent).