----- Desmond Bane scored 29 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range as the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-106 Wednesday night at Moda Center.
The Portland Trail Blazers saved their best for last, but it wasn't enough as the Memphis Grizzlies improved to 5-3 with a 111-106 victory Wednesday night at Moda Center.
Desmond Bane scored a team-high 29 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond-the-arc and Ja Morant finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists and Memphis bounced back from their blowout loss Monday night in Utah against the Jazz.
The Grizzlies defense limited the Blazers offense for most of the game holding them to just 40.4% field goal shooting and forced 20 turnovers.
"That's been a little bit of an issue for us just turning the ball over. That's something that we'll keep watching and talking about," Blazers Coach Chauncy Billups said after the game. They (Memphis Grizzlies) forced us into some of those turnovers tonight with their physicality. But I think we get caught up sometimes just trying to make the homerun play as opposed to just seeing the guy open, just pass it to the open guy. To simplify it, the more passes you make, most teams will break down defensively no matter how good defensively a team is."
After back-and-forth affair through three quarters, Memphis (5-3) extended their lead to 94-77 with 8:51 to play after a John Konchar layup. Portland responded with a 21-4 run to tie the game at 98-98.
Bane responded by scoring 11 of the last 13 Memphis points to put the game away.
Portland (5-2) got a game-high 31 points from Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Jerami Grant added 23 points.
Keon Johnson provided a nice spark off the bench for Portland. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 18 minutes of action.
Notes- Damian Lillard missed his second-straight game (calf). Josh Hart got the start after clearing concussion protocol. He finished with five points, six rebounds, and four assists in 40 minutes of action.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers begin a six-game road trip Friday night in Phoenix against the Suns. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Good effort, but too many turnovers and not enough shot-making to get the job done against Memphis.