National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Memphis 97, Portland 82
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #20 Leroy Richardson, #25 Tony Brothers
Attendance: 18119

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The starting backcourt of Mike Conley and Courtney Lee combined for 36 points and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 97-82 on Wednesday night at the FedExForum to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Trail Blazers, who lost Game 1 by 14 points, were never closer than nine points in the fourth quarter. Memphis also swept the regular-season series 4-0.

Conley had 18 points and six assists and Lee also scored 18 points and added three steals.

Memphis center Marc Gasol finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Power forward Zach Randolph had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 24 points and 14 rebounds and added four blocks and two steals. Point guard Damian Lillard scored 18 points.

Portland finished with just 11 assists to 14 turnovers, which led to 16 Memphis points.

The Blazers' frustration in general, and Aldridge's in particular, was evident late in the third quarter as he attempted to post up Randolph, who had just scored over Aldridge at the other end of the court. Randolph held his position as Lee came to help harass Aldridge and then Gasol and Randolph double-teamed Aldridge.

The end result was a Portland shot clock violation with 2:29 left in the third quarter as Memphis led 70-55. The Grizzlies were up 73-60 going into the fourth quarter and the Blazers never made a serious charge.

Memphis shot 42.7 percent from the field (38 of 89) and Portland shot 39 percent (30 of 77). The Grizzlies outscored the Blazers 29-12 on second-chance points.

Portland led 21-19 after the first quarter. The Grizzlies, however, went on an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter and reserve point guard Beno Udrih was in the middle of it as he scored six straight points and finished with 10 points after scoring 20 in Game 1.

Memphis carried a 50-39 advantage into the break despite Randolph being shut out on 0-of-6 shooting from the floor. Conley led all scorers with 14 points and Aldridge had 13 points and 10 rebounds through the first two quarters.

NOTES: Portland coach Terry Stotts was hoping to get G Arron Afflalo back for Game 2 on Wednesday night. Instead, Afflalo (right shoulder strain) will not play again and reserve C Chris Kaman is out after turning his left ankle in Tuesday's practice. Afflalo shot 40 percent from 3-point range since coming over from Denver in February, and if the shoulder bothers his shooting motion, it compromises Afflalo as an offensive weapon. "It's what he does, part of what he does," Stotts said. ... The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 points in Game 1 before defeating the Blazers 100-86. Memphis had limped to the regular-season finish line, watching its seed fall from 2 to 5. But the Grizzlies had a 10-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back. "They were fired up to get a reset on the season," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "It was a fresh start."
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Memphis
LaMarcus Aldridge 24 Scoring Mike Conley 18
Nicolas Batum 7 Assists Mike Conley 6
LaMarcus Aldridge 14 Rebounds Zach Randolph 10
LaMarcus Aldridge 9 Free Throws Made Marc Gasol 7
LaMarcus Aldridge 2 Steals Courtney Lee 3
LaMarcus Aldridge 4 Blocks Tony Allen 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 82 39.0 6-20 16-18 11 42 8 4 14
Memphis 97 42.7 8-16 13-14 19 41 7 9 6
Upcoming Games
  • Memphis will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .685 after a win and .643 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Memphis. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .692 after a win and .500 after a loss.