Griz romp past depleted Trail Blazers
Hollins keeps foot on the gas
PORTLAND, Ore. — It was two years ago when the Grizzlies arrived in the Rose Garden at this point of the regular season and stepped into a mild controversy.
With the playoff berth secured but a seventh or eighth-place finish out of their control, the Griz rested key players. Coach Lionel Hollins was accused of disrespecting the game by local media yet made no apologies for wanting his team healthy for the postseason.
That was then when only three regular-season games remained.
Hollins made it clear Wednesday night before the Grizzles’ 94-76 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers that this end-ofseason drive presents a different set of circumstances.
The Griz began a three-game road trip trying to keep pace with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers for the third seed in the Western Conference playoff standings.
So when the subject of rest came up, Hollins said he’d play For complete coverage of Wednesday’s GrizzliesTrail Blazers game, go to commercialappeal.com or the Commercial Appeal’s phone or tablet apps. it by ear and limit minutes depending on the flow of the game.
“I just want us to be playing well,” Hollins said. “Everybody is talking about the playoffs, but we still have (regular-season) games to play. We’re playing to win.”
The Grizzlies’ starters certainly came out as if they wanted to dominate and then rest. Mem- phis (51-24) was never seriously challenged as the Grizzlies set a franchise record for wins in a season by earning their 51st victory.
Memphis also guaranteed it would finish this season with the best overall winning percentage in franchise history, surpassing the .621 mark set in 2011-12. The Griz will finish this season with a winning percentage no worse than .622.
The Griz led by 11 after the first and second quarters, and their lead swelled to as many as 18 points in the first half. Even when the Blazers cut their deficit to seven points midway through the third quarter, the Griz re- sponded with a heavy hand.Griz point guard Mike Conley calmly buried a 3-pointer to re-establish the double-digit advantage. Tony Allen then got a steal and earned a trip to the free throw line after he was fouled.
Portland had trouble taking care of the basketball all night. Blazers coach Terry Stotts probably expected as much from his younger-than-normal lineups. The Blazers were without forwards LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) and Nicolas Batum (shoulder), and had five rookies on the court at one point.
The loss officially eliminated Portland from playoff contention.