Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Grit-and-Grind was in full effect Sunday night at the FedEx Forum, where the Memphis Grizzlies steamrolled the Portland Trail Blazers, 100-86, in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Marc Gasol led the way for Memphis, filling up the box score on the way to 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and a steal.
He led a defensive effort that stifled the Blazers, holding them to an abysmal 33.7 percent shooting performance.
The bad shooting applied to just about every Blazer, including leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge, who dropped 32 points but shot 13-of-34 from the field.
| Marc Gasol | A+ |
| Zach Randolph | B |
| Mike Conley | B |
| Courtney Lee | C+ |
| Jeff Green | D+ |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | C |
| Damian Lillard | D- |
| Nicolas Batum | B+ |
| Robin Lopez | D- |
| C.J. McCollum | F |
| Rest of Team | C |
Memphis Grizzlies
Marc Gasol: A+
Gasol did a little bit of everything for the Grizzlies, anchoring the defense, controlling the boards and running the offense from the high post on several possessions.
"Gasol and 4 smalls with everything running through Marc at the FT line. Was a nice wrinkle that worked well especially for Udrih.
— Seth Partnow (@SethPartnow) April 20, 2015"
When the Blazers keyed on Gasol's catch at the elbow, he was able to find the open man and deliver an on-time, on-target pass. When they didn't, he was more than willing to take the 15-footer or drive to the rim.
On the other end of the floor, Gasol wasn't individually dominant because he didn't really have to be. For the most part, the Blazers stayed away from individual matchups with Gasol.
Zach Randolph started slow, struggling to score over the taller Aldridge, but he found (or created) some space for himself in the second half.
He was able to bully his way to the rim after the break, whether in traditional post-ups or off offensive rebounds (he corralled four).
He finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting and grabbed 11 total rebounds.
Mike Conley: B
Still nursing some nagging plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Conley wasn't called upon for much but delivered anyway. He played just 24 minutes and made his presence felt.
He scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, showing some explosiveness on a couple of transition opportunities that should settle fans' concerns over his foot.
He was also excellent in defending Damian Lillard, forcing him into plenty of contested jump shots.
Courtney Lee: C+
Courtney Lee's primarily a three-and-D guy, and he did a decent job of that.
He was a big part of C.J. McCollum's 1-of-8 shooting performance and knocked down two of two three-point attempts on the other end.
The team may call on him to shoot more in future games this series, but he didn't really need to score much in Game 1.
Jeff Green: D+
Jeff Green was perhaps the only glaring weakness in Memphis' starting lineup, as he shot just 3-of-11 from the field on the way to 11 points and struggled to defend Nicolas Batum on the other end.
Going forward, Green will have to be more effective to justify playing over Tony Allen, who brings significantly more energy on the defensive end.
Rest of Team: B+
Two Grizzlies came up with big games off the bench, one on offense and the other on defense.
Beno Udrih provided a huge scoring burst in the second quarter and stayed hot for the rest of the game. His mid-range jumper was locked in on the way to 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
On the other end, Allen was flying all over the floor in his 25 minutes, playing his typical brand of defense-first basketball and firing up his teammates.
Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge: C
Aldridge's frustration was on display in the first quarter, when the referee called him for a technical foul after he lost a physical battle for a rebound with Randolph.
Whether it was Randolph, Gasol or Kosta Koufos, the Grizzlies were crowding Aldridge's shots and drives all game long. They bumped him when they could and kept him off balance all game.
The silver lining on Aldridge was on the other end, where his length bothered Randolph and helped him to grab seven of his 14 total rebounds.
Damian Lillard: D-
As much as Aldridge struggled, Lillard was even worse. He shot just 5-of-21 from the field, scored 14 points and handed out only three assists.
He was an equal-opportunity shot-misser, clanging pull-up jumpers from the perimeter and missing finishes inside among the Grizzlies' massive front line.
The lone bright spot for Lillard was his work on the boards, where he grabbed eight rebounds.
Nicolas Batum: B+
Batum was perhaps the only Blazer who didn't look uncomfortable against the Grizzlies defense. That could have something to do with being matched up with Green, but his numbers were solid either way.
He finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. He'll need a little more consistency from his teammates as the series progresses.
Robin Lopez: D-
Robin Lopez only played 19 minutes, as he was completely dominated by Gasol while they were on the floor together.
He grabbed just five rebounds and scored two points.
C.J. McCollum: F
Starting in place of the injured Arron Afflalo, McCollum had a terrible time finding any rhythm against the defense of Lee and Allen.
He shot 1-of-8 from the field, scored two points and did very little to positively impact the game for the Blazers.
Rest of Team: C
Portland got solid contributions from a few bench players, including Chris Kaman, Meyers Leonard and Allen Crabbe. Each scored seven points and combined to shoot 8-of-13 from the field.
Backup point guard Steve Blake struggled even worse than Lillard, though. He was 0-of-4 from the field on the way to zero points.
Coming Up Next
Game 2 of the series will be on Wednesday, April 22, at 8 p.m. ET. The Grizzlies will be at home again before the series shifts to Portland for Game 3.
The Blazers will have to do a better job of moving the ball against Memphis' stingy defense rather than settling for so many isolations for Aldridge and Lillard.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, will look to keep the defensive intensity high and hope for continued progress from Conley.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
