The Portland Trail Blazers earned a glimmer of hope with an impressive performance in Game 4. In Game 5, the Memphis Grizzlies snuffed that out with another "Grit and Grind" defensive performance to secure a date with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Shaking off a rough third quarter in which Portland trimmed a seven-point Memphis halftime lead to two, the Grizzlies turned up the intensity on both ends in the fourth to separate and hold onto a 99-93 win in front of a raucous Grindhouse.
Key Number: 9-0
With their lead down to one in the middle of the fourth quarter, Memphis reeled off a dominant 9-0 run to push it the advantage to double digits and effectively end the game and Portland's season in one fell swoop.
Memphis MVP:
Marc Gasol was dominant in the biggest game of the Grizzlies' season so far, posting 26 points and 14 rebounds while owning the painted area for the majority of the night. No Blazers player could move Gasol off his spot on this night and he made them pay for it.
Portland MVP:
Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge had middling days on the offensive end, so it was up to CJ McCollum to take on most of the offensive load. He did what he could, scoring a game-high 33 points on 12 of 20 shooting (7 of 11 from beyond the arc).
What's Next?
Portland heads home for the offseason while Memphis readies itself for a trip to Oakland to face the NBA-best Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
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