The NBA's plan to use a play-in game to decide the eighth seed in both conferences paid off, as the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies face off to see who will advance to the postseason. In an exciting finish for the No. 8 and No. 9 spots out West, both teams had to win their final seeding games in order for a chance to play in this game. Since Portland is the eighth seed, it only needs to beat Memphis once to advance to the first round of the playoffs. In order for the Grizzlies to advance, they would need to beat the Trail Blazers twice for a shot at facing the Lakers on Tuesday.
There's a lot on the line for this matchup for both teams, so here's everything you need to know about Saturday's Trail Blazers-Grizzlies matchup.
How to watch
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 14 | 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Disney Wide World of Sports -- Orlando, Florida
- TV: ABC | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: Trail Blazers -6 | O/U: 232.5
Storylines
Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard has been on absolute fire the last three times Portland has taken the floor, averaging an absurd 51 points in the last three games, all of which have been wins for the Blazers. Portland has seen great production from Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr., the latter of which has transformed himself into a solid wing defender who essentially locked up Luka Doncic in their game against the Mavericks. The only issue, however, is that CJ McCollum has reportedly played the last three games with a fracture in his lower back, limiting his contribution so much that he's shooting just 17.6 percent from 3-point range. He's managed to average 40 minutes in each of the last three games, however, it's uncertain how much he'll be able to continuously contribute in this play-in game, and in the playoffs if the Blazers advance.
Grizzlies: Memphis has been incredibly underwhelming in the bubble, so much so that it played itself right out of the No. 8 spot in the West. It doesn't help that Jaren Jackson Jr. went down after three games with the Grizzlies with a torn meniscus, significantly hindering their chance for success. Without Jackson, this team is completely different, and Ja Morant will have to be relied upon heavily in order to have a shot at winning this contest. Morant's averaging a double-double (19 points, nine assists), and Memphis has also seen solid production from Dillion Brooks (20 points per game), however, this team is going to need a lot more than just those two players to pull a win out here.
Game prediction
With the Grizzlies down Jackson, their chances of not only winning this game but beating the Blazers twice in a row is highly unlikely. Especially considering Lillard is playing completely out of his mind as of late, and Memphis won't have anyone noteworthy that will be able to keep him in check. This one might not be close, and Portland should pull away with a win in preparation for a tough first-round matchup against LeBron James and the Lakers. Pick: Trail Blazers -6
