Grizzlies hand Blazers first loss, 124-103, as Morant leaves with hamstring injury (Oct. 30)
Quick Read
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 Thursday night at Moda Center, handing Portland its first loss of the season.
Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer had his first career triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists as the Grizzlies improved to 5-0.
Ja Morant scored 14 points in his first game against his former team but left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.
Portland (3-1) plays at Utah at noon Saturday.
PORTLAND - The Trail Blazers' unbeaten start is over. The Memphis Grizzlies pulled away in the second half and beat Portland 124-103 on Thursday night at Moda Center in a matchup of unbeaten teams, ending the Blazers' 3-0 start.
The game was tied 58-58 at halftime. Memphis won the third quarter 33-25 and the fourth 33-20, according to the ESPN box score. The announced crowd was 19,367.
Morant hurt against his old team
Ja Morant, playing Memphis for the first time since the Grizzlies traded him to Portland in June, scored 14 points with three assists in 23 minutes. He left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return, The Associated Press reported. ESPN lists him as day-to-day.
How Memphis pulled away
With Memphis up two late in the third quarter, the Grizzlies went on a 10-0 run to lead 87-75 with 2:09 left in the period, the AP reported. A Zach Edey 3-pointer made it 96-85 with 9:47 to play and forced a Portland timeout. Morant answered out of the timeout, but back-to-back baskets by Ty Jerome pushed the lead to 101-89, and Memphis pulled away from there.
Portland struggled from deep, making 12 of 49 3-pointers (24%), while Memphis made 18 of 42 (43%) and all 12 of its free throws. The Grizzlies had 32 assists on 47 baskets and outscored Portland 21-12 in fast-break points. Portland committed 16 turnovers to Memphis' 11.
Blazers box score notes
Deni Avdija led Portland with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, going 8 of 12 at the free-throw line. Toumani Camara added 13 points, and Donovan Clingan had 11 points, eight rebounds and five of Portland's 11 blocked shots.
Two nights after hitting the game-sealing 3-pointer against the Lakers, Damian Lillard scored nine points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range. Scoot Henderson scored nine off the bench, and Jrue Holiday had six points and six rebounds.
Memphis' balance
Besides Boozer, seven Grizzlies scored in double figures. Isaiah Stewart led the bench with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Cedric Coward scored 17, Edey had 13 points and seven rebounds, and GG Jackson added 12. Jerome, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, scored 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Former Blazer Jerami Grant, part of the Morant trade, scored two points in 27 minutes.
Injuries and what's next
Besides Morant, ESPN's injury report lists Robert Williams III as day-to-day with a knee issue. Shaedon Sharpe remains out after knee surgery, and Chris Youngblood is out with ankle soreness.
The Blazers (3-1) play at Utah at noon Saturday, Oct. 31, on KUNP 16 and BlazerVision, per the team schedule on ESPN. Portland then visits Denver on Monday and Phoenix on Wednesday.
Sources
ESPN: Grizzlies 124, Trail Blazers 103 box score (Oct. 29, 2026)
Associated Press via ESPN: Boozer posts first career triple-double in Grizzlies win over Blazers
ESPN: Portland Trail Blazers schedule
Cover photo: Deni Avdija 2022 (52380408867), by All-Pro Reels, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
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