NBA · GAME DAY
Memphis GrizzliesAWAY
Portland Trail BlazersHOMEScheduled start passed · status unconfirmed · Official game details ↗
NBA · ARCHIVED PRIMER
The scheduled start has passed. This is the saved pregame primer, not live coverage or a result.
Coverage as of .
One game. Four ways in. Choose your read; the full primer adds the stories behind the headlines.
Ja Morant faces Memphis for the first time since his trade to Portland. Both teams are unbeaten: the Blazers are 3-0, the Grizzlies 4-0. Jerami Grant and Kris Murray went the other way in the deal.
Watch who creates after Morant passes. Avdija had nine assists against the Lakers, while Holiday scored 22. Memphis counters with Jerome, who averaged 29.8 points through four games.
Ja Morant’s first meeting with Memphis arrives while both teams are unbeaten: Portland is 3-0, Memphis 4-0. The June 29 trade sent Morant to the Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, so Grant has a former-team meeting of his own.
Morant scored 23 and Lillard 21 in Portland’s win at the Lakers Tuesday. But watch the other creators: Avdija had 23 points and nine assists, and Holiday scored 22. Portland gives you several players to track after the first pass.
For Memphis, learn Ty Jerome and Cedric Coward. Jerome averaged 29.8 points through four games; Coward had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four threes without a miss in Monday’s win at Utah. The reunion is the entrance to this game. The new supporting combinations are worth staying for.
Morant’s first game against Memphis: Portland enters 3-0, the Grizzlies 4-0. Grant and Kris Murray went to Memphis in the trade.
Portland has multiple creators: Avdija had nine assists against the Lakers, alongside 23 points from Morant and 22 from Holiday.
Memphis’ Cedric Coward had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four threes without a miss in Monday’s win at Utah.
Ja Morant’s first game against Memphis comes with a complication for anyone expecting a simple reunion story: both teams are unbeaten. His new Portland team is 3-0; the Grizzlies are 4-0. Memphis traded him on June 29 for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Tonight, those names appear on opposite benches.
Morant scored 23 in Portland’s 136-129 win at the Lakers on Tuesday. Damian Lillard added 21. Those are the recognizable Portland guards; Ty Jerome is the Memphis name to learn. He averaged 29.8 points over the Grizzlies’ first four games.
Jerome’s latest line was quieter as a scorer: 15 points and eight assists in a 110-105 win at Utah. Memphis kept winning anyway.
Grant is part of this reunion, too. The former Portland forward scored 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting for Memphis at Utah, including three threes. The trade sent useful players in both directions; this game lets you see them in their new roles.
Availability at 5:30 p.m. Eastern: Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe was out, Robert Williams III doubtful and Yang Hansen available. The report has no Memphis player entry; it is not a guarantee of participation.
Track who starts Portland’s offense after Morant gives up the ball. Deni Avdija had nine assists and 23 points against the Lakers, while Jrue Holiday scored 22. Morant had four assists. There are several players to follow after the first pass, which makes watching only the reunion star an easy way to miss the possession.
Cedric Coward made all four of his three-point attempts at Utah and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Memphis’ perfect start has included production beyond Jerome’s big scoring nights. Coward is another name worth keeping handy.
My take: enjoy the reunion without trying to settle the trade in one night. Memphis has already won three road games on this trip. Portland has opened with three wins of its own. Tonight can reveal how their new combinations fit against each other; it cannot supply a season’s verdict.
The conversation starter: Morant gets the reunion spotlight, but Grant is also facing his former team. And which Memphis number catches your eye more: Jerome’s 45-point opener, or Coward’s four-for-four night from three?
At 5:30 p.m. Eastern on October 29, Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe was out, Robert Williams III doubtful and Yang Hansen available. The report contains no Memphis player entry; that does not guarantee every Memphis player will play. Source
Pregame snapshot; pending and uncertain availability is identified in the primer.
Manual editorial review: . This page does not update player availability automatically.