BLAZERS @ GRIZZLIES 03.06.2013 GAME THREAD – 5:00PM

Z-Bo's not going to play? I thought the whole reason he sat out the Orlando game was to have some extended time off his bad ankle going into this game. I'm pretty sure he's going to be in the starting line-up tomorrow.

 

I hope Z-Bo doesnt play. We need all the help for this playoff push. Go Blaze!

 

IP: Minneapolis?

 

Go Blazers!

That's my 1000th post, and I don't have to carry HCP's 'Hello Kitty' backpack anymore.

 

No Randolph tonight according to Blazer beat guy Chris Haynes.

 

Apparently we won't have Darrell Arthur either.

Weird, Z-Bo's played in 55 of our 58 games this season, but he's managed to miss both games against the Blazers so far.

I don't get it... he hurt his ankle early in the Heat game, but he stayed in that game til the end. That was five days of rest ago.

 

It's gut check time:

Trail Blazers-Grizzlies Preview
The surging Memphis Grizzlies know they still have a tough road ahead to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, though taking advantage of a stretch featuring sub-.500 opponents can only help.

Memphis hopes to have Zach Randolph back in the lineup as it seeks a 10th victory in its last 11 tries Wednesday night against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

The Grizzlies (39-19), currently in fourth place in the Western Conference, are coming off a 108-82 win at Orlando on Sunday in the first of five straight games against teams below the .500 mark.

After taking on Portland, Memphis will face Cleveland and New Orleans before a rematch on the road with the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. The Grizzlies will face the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver and Utah immediately following that stretch.

"It's definitely important to take care of those games,'' said Tayshaun Prince, who scored 14 points to lead seven players in double figures. "When you lose games like that it puts you in a tough situation. You want to take care of those wins.

"We've been playing some great basketball of late, even though we haven't been playing the teams with great records yet."

The Grizzlies had an eight-game winning streak snapped with Friday's loss to Miami, which is one of only three opponents in the last 10 that has a record over .500.

"A lot of times those tough losses steamroll into a few more," forward Quincy Pondexter said. "We came out (Sunday), we were professionals and we executed and got the win. We took care of business.''

They did so without Randolph, who sat out with a sprained left ankle suffered against the Heat. It's uncertain if he'll be ready for Wednesday's contest.

Randolph, who spent his first six seasons with Portland and is averaging 21.3 points in 10 career games against his former team, also missed an 86-84 loss Jan. 4 that marked the Blazers' 14th victory in the last 18 meetings.

LaMarcus Aldridge and J.J. Hickson each had a double-double in that contest for Portland (28-31), which is four games behind Utah for the West's final playoff spot.

Aldridge scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the Blazers beat Charlotte 122-105 to finish 3-1 on their homestand. Rookie Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum each scored 20 points as Portland shot a season-high 59.8 percent before heading on the road for three straight.

``It's gut-check time,'' Lillard said. ``If we're going to make this push for the playoffs we've got to win on the road.''

The Blazers have won seven of the last nine meetings in Memphis, and they may need to win another low-scoring contest to end their six-game road losing streak.

They shot only 40.7 percent in the first matchup last month, but also held the Grizzlies to 39.5 from the field. Neither team has scored more than 97 points in any of the last four meetings.

Memphis leads the league in defense allowing 89.5 points per game, including holding its last six opponents to an average of 83.3 points and 43.3 percent shooting.

Portland, though, is coming off setting a season best for points in a regulation contest and is averaging 113.3 points over its last three.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

 

Holy crap, that was a sweet layup by Hickson on the fast break.

 

I thought Jon Leuer would be a sleeper in the draft a couple years ago. LOL

 

Too much Tony Allen on offense for the Grizz. He should really be seen and not heard on that end of the floor.

This is the first time we've given him any real playing time since the trade. I'm interested to see how he handles it. I like his hustle so far though.

 

LaMarcus doesn't look like he wants any part of Gasol in the post. All his moves have been attempts to face up and drive around him or shot over him.

 

Lillard's on pace for a 40-point game.

 

The Grizz have a really funky lineup out there right now. Wroten and Leuer usually only see action in garbage time.

 

I was right about Leuer!!!!!

This Grizzlies lineup is absolutely ridiculous right now

 

Loving Maynor these past few games.

 

Suddenly, we have a good bench

 

Never thought I'd be saying this 2 weeks ago. Bench Mob doing work!

 

I've gone from absolutely hating the bench to absolutely loving it. Maynor/Leonard/Claver are keepers.