The Grizzlies closed out the regular season series against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland Wednesday with a 122-114 loss. Portland won the season series 3-1.
There were just eight players available for head coach Tuomas Iisalo and Memphis, although you would be forgiven for not recognizing many of the names.
The team the Grizzlies are fielding in March 2026 is vastly different from the one that started the season in October 2025.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jock Landale, and John Konchar have all been traded away, PJ Hall was waived, Santi Aldama is injured with no timetable for return, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out for the remainder of the season, and most likely Ja Morant is out for the rest of the season as well. Brandon Clarke’s face should be on a milk carton with how scarce he has been.
The lineup on Memphis’ current injury report would probably make the play-in tournament if they were available and playing. The lineup that hit the floor on Wednesday night, not so much.
Before I get further into this game, here’s a bit of Grizzlies housekeeping:
Rayan Rupert, a former Portland Trail Blazer who was signed to Memphis on a 10-day contract, has been signed to a two-way contract for the remainder of the season.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who started the season on a two-way contract, has signed a multi-year contract, with terms not disclosed.
And finally, it’s official: center Zach Edey will miss the rest of the season after undergoing a successful procedure to address ongoing discomfort in his left ankle. Per Grizzlies PR, Edey is expected to make a full recovery in advance of the 2026-27 regular season.
With that out of the way, let’s get into this game against the Blazers.
I’m not sure what remains for these teams that qualifies as a rivalry, but they are currently ranked 10th and 11th in the Western Conference standings, with Memphis in the 11th seed seven games back from Portland in the 10th.
The score was tied at the half, with nine lead changes in the first half. Cam Spencer scored all 12 of his points in the first half, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 12 of his 17 total points in the first half.
Portland’s starting center, Donovan Clingan, was ejected near the end of the second quarter for a flagrant foul penalty 2, after an intentional elbow to the face of Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
But it was in the third quarter that the Blazers started pulling away offensively, despite Jaylen Wells shooting a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond the arc in the period.
And in the fourth, the Blazers slammed the door on the Grizzlies’ chances at a comeback.
Portland had the advantage over Memphis in several categories. They dominated in the paint 62-46, in second chance points 23-15, and on the boards 53-38.
Both teams committed 17 turnovers, but the Blazers converted the Grizzlies’ turnovers into 23 points, while giving up only 13 points off their turnovers.
I haven’t had to harp much on free throws this season, because they have made very little difference in the outcome of most games.
However, in this instance, they would have made a difference – shooting 22 of 33 from the charity stripe, leaving 11 free points on the table in a game where your team lost by 8 points, is less than ideal- YGTMYFT.
By the Numbers:
Seven of the eight players available for the Grizzlies scored in double figures:
Jaylen Wells led with a team-high 24 points on 8 of 15 overall shooting and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, along with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
GG Jackson scored 20 points on 8 of 18 overall shooting, along with four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three blocks.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 17 points, along with nine rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Javon Small added 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block.
Jahmai Mashack led the bench with 13 points on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, and added one rebound, one assist, and one steal.
Cam Spencer scored 12 points, along with seven rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.
Walter Clayton Jr. also scored 12 points, to go with two rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.
Who Got Next?
A little rest for this weary Grizzlies team; they don’t play again until Saturday, March 7th, when they face the Los Angeles Clippers at FedExForum. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.