Well-rested Grizzlies pass Blazers in 4th quarter

PORTLAND, Ore. — Through three quarters, the Memphis Grizzlies looked like a team that hadn’t played in 11 days — which they were.

Then the Grizzlies came alive, outscoring Portland 34-15 and holding the Trail Blazers to 4-for-23 shooting in the fourth quarter. The result was a 98-92 Memphis victory Sunday night at the Moda Center.

“We were active,” coach Dave Joerger said after the Grizzlies (40-14) rallied from a 13-point deficit with 10 minutes to play. “As the game went on, we kept getting more urgency, both offensively and defensively.”

Center Marc Gasol scored 21 points for Memphis, which hadn’t played since a 105-89 loss at Oklahoma City on Feb. 11. Guard Courtney Lee added 19 points, and guard Mike Conley collected 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, who won for the 15th time in 18 games.

Portland guard Damian Lillard scored 18 points and handed out seven assists, and forward Nicolas Batum contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The Trail Blazers (36-19) lost their second consecutive game since the All-Star break.

“We let that one get away from us,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “We had a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter at home — you’re in position to win the game. Memphis did a good job of pressuring us and defending us. We didn’t do the things we needed to do in the second half defensively, and offensively we struggled in the fourth quarter.”

Lillard scored 14 of his points in the third quarter, and guard Steve Blake, who finished with 13 points on 4-for-4 3-point shooting, knocked down three consecutive treys as Portland outscored Memphis 39-26 in the third quarter to take a 77-64 lead into the final period.

“We got really static offensively, and defensively we didn’t communicate,” Gasol said. “Just a lot of bad things.”

But Memphis rallied, outscoring Portland 23-8 behind Gasol to go in front 87-85 with 4:02 left.

It was back and forth from there until Lee’s three-point play pushed the Grizzlies in front 92-90 with 2:27 to go.

Neither team scored again until Gasol scored on a jumper to make it 94-90 with 30 seconds remaining. Lee’s two free throws with 20 seconds left wrapped it up for the Grizzlies.

“We played great for a lot of the game,” Portland guard Wesley Matthews said. “We got ourselves a nice lead — we just blew it. (The Grizzlies) played a great game, but we can’t let that happen.”

Memphis sank 13 of 24 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies’ focus at the defensive end was more critical. Matthews had burned the Grizzlies for 51 points and sank 14 of 26 shots from 3-point range in the first two meetings between the teams this season. On Sunday, he scored four points on 0-for-7 shooting — including 0-for-4 on 3-point attempts.

“With the help of my teammates and great defensive schemes, I was able to make it difficult for him,” said Memphis guard Tony Allen, who defended Matthews much of the way. “You have to credit our team for sticking in there when (the Blazers) made that (third-quarter) run, and then executing in the fourth quarter.”

NOTES: Portland was without its leading scorer, F LaMarcus Aldridge, who sat out due to a sore right thumb. … The Blazers are 6-11 in their past 17 games. They are 24-4 in games in which they led after three quarters. … G Arron Affalo had eight points and four rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench in his first appearance for the Blazers. Afflalo hit his first shot, a 17-footer from the side, on the first possession after he entered the game in the first quarter. … Memphis won nine of the past 11 meetings with the Trail Blazers dating to the 2011-12 season. Five of those victories came in Portland. … The Grizzlies finally ended their long All-Star break. “I don’t know if anybody’s ever had 11 days between games in this league, at least for a long time,” Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. … Portland players and coaches wore black “JK 25” T-shirts during warmups in memory of former Blazer F Jerome Kersey, who died Wednesday of a blood clot at age 52.