A late surge erased Memphis' lead. Portland's fourth-quarter barrage stifled the Grizzlies' progress, turning a close contest into another hard-fought defeat.
The Memphis Grizzlies delivered a far sharper response than the night before, but a decisive fourth-quarter surge by the Portland Trail Blazers turned progress into another frustrating loss.
Portland erased an 11-point second-half deficit and closed the game on a 34-19 run in the fourth quarter to beat Memphis 122-115 on Saturday night, splitting a two-game series in Portland. The Grizzlies had lost 135-115 on Friday but controlled much of the rematch before Portland’s shot-making flipped the outcome late.
Jerami Grant scored 29 points and buried six 3-pointers to lead Portland, while Donovan Clingan dominated the interior with 20 points and 19 rebounds. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and Caleb Love finished with 17 off the bench, including 10 in the second half, as the Trail Blazers shot 59.1% in the final quarter.
For Memphis, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Javon Small delivered career nights. Prosper scored a career-high 25 points and knocked down seven 3-pointers, while Small added 22 points as the Grizzlies shot 50% from the field and went 16 of 38 from beyond the arc.
Prosper’s production came while playing extended minutes at center in an improvised lineup, a role he approached less as a positional shift and more as a responsibility.
“Yes, I’m the biggest player on the floor and I have to guard their 5-man,” Prosper said. “But at the end of the day, I see myself as a pretty versatile player.”
Afterward, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo focused first on the response his team showed after Friday’s lopsided loss.
He explained that effort was not the issue this time, pointing to the way Memphis competed for long stretches and executed offensively.
“I was very proud of how the guys came out after yesterday,” Iisalo said. “I didn’t think the effort yesterday was where it needed to be, and today that wasn’t the issue at all. The guys really fought. We shot the ball pretty well for a long stretch and did a lot of the things you need to do in order to win a game.”
Memphis appeared in control late in the third quarter. Prosper scored the first five points of a 10-2 burst that pushed the Grizzlies ahead 87-79, and Memphis carried a 96-88 lead into the fourth after shooting efficiently through three periods.
Much of Prosper’s damage came from the corners, where he has increasingly found comfort as his role has expanded.
“This day and age of the NBA, corner 3’s is what most teams are looking for,” Prosper said. “I know that most of my 3’s are going to be from the corner. I’m comfortable taking that from everywhere, but I know where I’m going to get them.”
That advantage grew to 104-97 when Jahmai Mashack drilled a 3-pointer, but Portland quickly answered. Vit Krejci, Toumani Camara and Love each connected from deep, and Love’s steal and layup gave the Trail Blazers a 108-107 lead with 5:59 remaining.
As Portland found its rhythm from the perimeter, Iisalo pointed to defensive breakdowns that proved costly.
“In the fourth quarter, they made a few tough threes,” he said. “I thought we could have been a little better at the point of attack defensively at some crucial moments. We also got some open looks that didn’t go down late.”
Small briefly pulled Memphis back within one with a 3-pointer, but Holiday responded with a layup before Grant delivered the decisive sequence. Grant buried back-to-back 3-pointers in a 28-second span to extend Portland’s lead to 120-113 with 1:51 left, effectively sealing the game. Clingan added two free throws in the final seconds as Memphis shot just 27.3% in the fourth quarter.
Beyond the result, Iisalo emphasized the development of his young rotation players, several of whom were asked to shoulder expanded roles.
He pointed to the overall defensive energy from the backcourt and how it translated into offense, particularly from Small and others applying pressure.
“I really liked our young guys overall,” Iisalo said. “We applied great pressure in the backcourt, which was completely different from yesterday. We used our speed and aggressiveness to our advantage, and that’s something we need right now.”
Iisalo also highlighted Prosper’s continued growth, both as a shooter and within the team’s evolving structure.
“Overall, he’s one of those guys who shows up every day and puts in the work,” Iisalo said. “People tend to overestimate what you can do in the short term and underestimate what you can do in the long term. As long as he keeps improving, good things will come for him.”
For Prosper, the expanded role ultimately comes down to effort and mindset more than matchup.
“I’m willing to do the dirty work,” he said. “There’s no off nights with effort. That’s something you can control.”
The game featured eight ties and 18 lead changes, including a 63-63 tie at halftime after Grant scored 21 first-half points. Prosper countered with 15 points before the break for Memphis, which has now lost eight of its past 10 games.
Portland played shorthanded again, sitting All-Star forward Deni Avdija with a lower back strain, along with Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III. Memphis was without Scotty Pippen Jr., Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells.
Despite the late collapse, Iisalo stressed that the performance offered a foundation moving forward.
“We did a lot of things we need in order to win,” he said. “We’ll clean up a few things late in games, get a little more organized against pressure, and we’ll be fine.”
The Grizzlies continue their road trip Monday at Golden State, while Portland hosts Philadelphia.