Jerami Grant scored 23 points and Jrue Holiday added 20 points and seven assists to help the Portland Trail Blazers roll to a 135-115 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night in the first of back-to-back games between the teams.
Toumani Camara had 15 points and Donovan Clingan recorded 13 points and 17 rebounds as the Trail Blazers halted a six-game slide. Robert Williams III had 13 points and fellow reserve Rayan Rupert scored 12 points on four final-quarter 3-pointers for Portland, which scored 81 points during the middle two quarters
Cam Spencer scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench and GG Jackson added 15 points for the Grizzlies, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Jaylen Wells, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 13 points apiece for Memphis. Cedric Coward had 11 points and eight rebounds, and reserves Walter Clayton Jr. and Javon Small each added 11 points.
Portland All-Star Deni Avdija (back) sat out for the eighth time in 12 games, while Shaedon Sharpe (left calf) sat out the second half. Sharpe had two points in 14 first-half minutes.
The rematch is Saturday night in Portland.
Scoot Henderson (hamstring) made his season debut for the Trail Blazers and had 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
Reserve Vit Krejci had 11 points in 23 minutes in his second game since Portland acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks.
The Trail Blazers shot 54.4% from the field, including 17 of 42 (40.5%) from 3-point range.
Memphis shot 47.7% from the field and was 15 of 41 (36.6%) from behind the arc.
The Trail Blazers led by four at halftime outscoring Memphis 38-23 in the third quarter.
It was a two-point margin before Portland scored 21 of the next 27 points to take a 94-77 lead on Grant’s trey with 3:54 left in the quarter.
The Trail Blazers led 106-87 entering the final quarter. Rupert made two 3-pointers in the first 88 seconds of the period as Portland increased its lead to 114-90. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 30.
Grant scored 14 first-half points as Portland led 68-64 at the break. Wells had 11 in the half for the Grizzlies.
Memphis never trailed in the first quarter and led by as many as 15 before settling for a 36-25 advantage through 12 minutes.
But Portland shot 70% from the field (14 of 20) in the second quarter en route to holding a four-point halftime edge.
–Field Level Media
