Gasol, Douglas lead Grizzlies past Trail Blazers, 88-86
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) shoots between Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu, from left, center Mason Plumlee, and forward Jake Layman (10) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn. AP
MEMPHIS, Tennessee—Longtime Memphis Grizzly Marc Gasol carried the team throughout the game. The team’s newest member closed out an unexpected win.
Gasol scored 36 points, but it was a pair of free throws by reserve guard Toney Douglas with less a second left that closed out Memphis’ 88-86 comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
“We gave them everything we could. We just threw the kitchen sink at them,” said Memphis coach David Fizdale, who watched his team overcome an 11-point deficit in the final 5 minutes. “I don’t know if we got lucky or what.”
Douglas’ last-second free throws gave him 11 points, including the game’s final six to seal Memphis’ fifth consecutive victory. The Grizzlies have won 12 straight that either went to overtime or were decided by five points or less.
“I wish I could tell you,” Gasol said when asked about Memphis’ ability to pull out close games. “We just keep fighting. You’ve seen it in many games now where we just don’t let go of the rope.”
Gasol was 13 of 24 from the field, including 4 of 6 from outside the arc. But Douglas, signed by Memphis this week because of injuries, took over down the stretch. The guard scored on a 19-footer with 34 seconds left, then converted two pairs of free throws in the last 20 seconds.
CJ McCollum led the Trail Blazers with 24 points, and Damian Lillard had 19. Evan Turner had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Portland held a 79-68 lead after Al-Farouq Aminu scored inside with 5:28 left. But Memphis clicked off a 14-2 rally, Gasol collecting nine points in the stretch capped by a 30-footer from Troy Daniels with 1:35 remaining.
The game settled into a one-possession contest at that point, including four ties. Portland center Mason Plumlee split a pair of free throws with 7 seconds left, and the Grizzlies pushed the ball down court. Douglas’ pump fake drew a foul from Lillard with a half-second remaining.
“It’s a tough call,” Lillard said. “I think at that point of the game, there are some calls you make, and there are some you just play basketball. You can’t be as technical about it.”
