The Memphis Grizzlies head to the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 25 and will air on ESPN, SportSouth and KGW.
The Trail Blazers lost to the Grizzlies 97-82 on Wednesday. LaMarcus Aldridge recorded 24 points and 14 rebounds, earning his 39th double-double of the year. Courtney Lee shot 8-for-11 and led in scoring with 18 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Trail Blazers enter the game with records of 51-31 Straight Up (SU) and 40-41-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 31-21 SU and 26-25-1 ATS versus the Western Conference. Portland has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a league-high .801. Portland has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 45.9 rebounds per game. As for the Portland defense, teams have to fight for three-pointers against the Trail Blazers, who have the least opponent three-pointers made in the league at 524 (6.4 per game).
On the other side, Memphis has a SU record of 55-27 and an ATS record of 40-40-2. In Western Conference games, Memphis has gone 35-17 SU and 26-26 ATS.
Memphis won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 9-1. The Grizzlies also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 9-1. Memphis had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10. Portland has never had the edge in all categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
Both Memphis and Portland rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Memphis scores 0.0 points per game, while Portland allows 0.0.
Memphis and Portland are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Memphis puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Portland gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
Memphis has a stellar 42-11 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Portland is 13-19 when it puts up under 100.
When the Memphis Grizzlies allow at least 100 points they are 13-16, while the Portland Trail Blazers are 38-12 when they reach the century mark.
The Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 13th), while the Trail Blazers rank 10th for their defensive rating of 101.0.
The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with a FG% of 45.8%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Portland Trail Blazers are 12-15.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank lower for their field goal percentage (17th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (eighth), but the Memphis Grizzlies have a better FG% ranking (eighth) than their EFF% ranking (20th).
On average, the Portland Trail Blazers make 21.9 assists per game and the Memphis Grizzlies make 21.7. Portland is ranked 12th, while Memphis is ranked 15th.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 4.5 blocks per game for a rank of 18th. The Memphis Grizzlies rank lower (24th), earning 4.2 blocks each game.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank 16th in offensive rebounding, while the Memphis Grizzlies rank 15th in defensive rebounding.
Memphis averages 8.5 steals per game (ranked sixth). Portland is 27-19 when allowing at least 8 steals.
