Trail Blazers Frustrated After 4th Quarter Collapse vs. Grizzlies

The Portland Trail Blazers are shaking their heads after a 112-100 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night at the Moda Center.

The Blazers and Grizzlies played a seesaw affair in their Sunday rematch following an epic overtime win from Portland in Friday’s first In-Season Tournament game. While the Grizzlies led by eight points at halftime, the Blazers played well enough in the third quarter to grab a lead going into the fourth. However, Memphis played arguably its best stretch of the season, making 12 of 15 shots for 30 points while Portland shot an abysmal 5 of 23 from the field.

Coach Chauncey Billups put more emphasis on the poor shooting than the defense after the game.

“I thought offensively obviously not being able to score is tough,” Billups said. “You almost got to be perfect defensively for that to happen and we weren’t. They got a little momentum going and hit some shots. They got some good shooters over there. At some point, they’re going to make some shots.

“I thought our defense was good enough most of the night,” Billups said. “We scrapped really hard we just couldn’t make.”

Meanwhile, veteran forward Jerami Grant, who scored a team-high 27 points, was more frustrated with the team’s defensive effort down the stretch.

“They hit a run at the right time,” veteran forward Jerami Grant said postgame. “We should have been a bit more aggressive on the defense end. I think we let them have that rhythm but at the same time, it’s a game of runs, so they got the best of us.”

The Blazers will look back at the film and regroup before Wednesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at the Golden1 Center.