With a season-ending injury to Wesley Matthews, the Portland Trail Blazers knew any playoff series would have to be won by their two stars, LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard. Aldridge scored enough points, 32, but it took a lot of shots to get there, shooting 13-for-34 from the field. Lillard, quite frankly, put up a dud and as a result, the Blazers trail 1-0 in their first-round series with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lillard had 14 points, shooting a dreadful 5-for-21, including making zero three-point shots out of six attempts despite being one of the better long-distance shooters in the league. Beno Udrih, the backup reserve for Grizzlies starting guard Mike Conley, outscored Lillard by six points and was surprisingly the game’s main difference maker.
Blazers fans are better off seeing their team play at FedExForum. Hipmunk.com is any NBA fan’s No. 1 resource, with thousands of flights to and from Memphis, and hotels in Memphis starting from $46 to take in Game 2 or Game 5. According to TiqIQ.com, Blazers playoff tickets for Game 2 have an average price of $97.51 with a get-in price of $25. For Games 3 and 4 at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland, average ticket prices are $177.23 with a get-in price of $58, and $143.14 with a get-in price of $45, respectively.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol performed well, just as they almost always do, combining for 31 points and 22 rebounds. Conley, battling foot issues, scored 16 points and was allowed to sit the entire fourth quarter to rest, thanks to the emergence of Udrih.
The Blazers simply did not make enough shots, but things are starting to get worrisome when anyone adds up the facts. The Grizzlies swept Portland during the regular season and have won 10 out of the last 11 games between the two teams. Overall, Portland has lost five straight and just experienced their worst shooting night all year, registering an atrocious 33.7 percent from the field on 32-of-95 shooting. The Trail Blazers’ worst shooting game during the regular season was back on February 20, when they shot 36.1 percent at Utah.
A lot of things will have to get better quickly for Portland to make some sort of push. The team looks to get a boost from Arron Afflalo, who missed his fourth straight game with a strained right shoulder. Afflalo would add much-needed three-point shooting threat to a team that needs floor-spacing and an easier time scoring the basketball.
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