The Memphis Grizzlies
beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 to cap off a 4-0 road trip, in a game that was Memphis' biggest test so far.
Cam Boozer was the star for Memphis
, and the Grizzlies pulled away in the fourth quarter after weathering multiple Portland runs at different points of the game.
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Here are the winners and losers from Memphis' biggest win of the season.
Winner: Cam Boozer
Boozer had the best game of his young NBA career, recording a triple-double. He put up 18 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, and is the youngest frontcourt player in NBA history to record a triple-double.
Maybe the most encouraging part of Boozer's performance was his shooting efficiency. After struggling on that front in three of his first four games, Boozer shot 6-for-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from three.
Winner: Weathering the first half storm
Portland went on multiple 9-0 runs in the first half, and it felt like the Trail Blazers had the momentum almost the entire half while watching. However, Memphis continuously punched back after those runs and kept the game within reach as Zach Edey and Isaiah Stewart dealt with major foul trouble.
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Big shots from Cam Boozer, Quentin Post and Jaylen Wells were big reasons the Grizzlies were able to withstand Portland's runs.
Loser: Foul trouble
The foul trouble mentioned above was a big problem early in the game. Edey in particular has struggled with fouling in the early going of the season.
With Quentin Post going out with an ankle injury, the availability of Edey and Stewart are magnified even more, if Post misses time.
Loser: Quentin Post injured
Post was a big reason the Grizzlies were able to stay afloat in the first half before he went out with his injury. He scored 10 points in just 7 minutes, knocking down 2 threes.
His performance is certainly not a loser of the night, but an injury is never a positive.
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Winner: Cedric Coward, supporting cast continue to perform
Cedric Coward's year two leap has been highly anticipated by Grizzlies fans and the team. He showed signs of making that jump tonight, putting the team on his back when Portland was trying to push a lead.
He finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-for-14 shooting and 3-for-5 on threes. His length and activity continues to pop on the defensive end and on the boards.
The rest of the rotation continued to give quality minutes, something I highlighted in a Q&A with Blazers OnSI
before the game. The collective success has been a huge catalyst for Memphis' early win streak.
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Cam Spencer had 8 points and 8 assists, GG Jackson had 12 points, and Jaylen Wells put up 10 on 4-for-9 shooting.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/grizzlies/onsi as Cam Boozer puts up historic triple double, Cedric Coward shines as Grizzlies move to 5-0
.
