PORTLAND - The Grizzlies (16-14) aim to avoid their longest losing streak of the season and get back on track as their four-game road trip continues with Wednesday’s stop to face the Trail Blazers (17-13) at the Moda Center.
Bear Necessities is a game-day spotlight on some Grizzlies notes of note to stay informed entering tonight's matchup.
Here are a few things to watch:
- The Grizzlies will try to improve to 2-0 against the Blazers this season after getting a 92-83 victory over Portland on Dec. 12 at FedExForum. That game marked the sixth time this season the Grizzlies have held an opponent to their season-low in scoring. The Blazers have since won their last two games, with a 128-122 win over the Raptors and a 131-127 victory against the Clippers. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have since dropped three straight to the Heat, Rockets and Warriors.
- Mike Conley, officially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game with left hamstring soreness, was a full participant in the Grizzlies’ morning shootaround and indicated he expects to play against the Blazers. Conley sat out of Monday’s loss at Golden State, marking the first time he’s missed a game this season. He had played in the season’s first 29 games, his longest streak of consecutive games played since he participated in 43 straight from Dec. 31, 2016 to April 4, 2017. Conley is right at his career highs in averaging 20.4 points and 6.5 assists this season.
- The Grizzlies are posting some of the league’s best defensive numbers against Western Conference opponents this season. Memphis ranks first in opponent points per game (98.8), first in opponent field-goal percentage (.427), first in opponent effective field-goal percentage (.489), first in opponent paint points per game (39.6) and first in opponent field-goal percentage in the restricted area (.564) against Western Conference teams.
- While Damian Lillard is a three-time NBA All-Star, Portland backcourt mate C.J. McCollum has been more of a problem to contain for the Grizzlies. McCollum scored a season-high 40 points on 27 shots against Memphis in the previous meeting. It marked the fourth time in his last eight games that McCollum finished with at least 36 points against the Grizzlies. In those eight contests, McCollum is averaging 30.1 points while shooting 55.7 percent from the field overall and 43.6 percent on threes.
- Wednesday's injury report included the Grizzlies listing Kyle Anderson (hip) as probable, Conley (hamstring) and Joakim Noah (heel) questionable and both Dillon Brooks (knee sprain) and Chandler Parsons (knee soreness) ruled out. The Blazers has no players listed on their injury report.
For the Grizzlies complete game notes, check here: https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/grizzlies.pdf
For the Grizzlies complete game notes, check here: Grizzlies Game Notes.