October 30, 2026 at 5:40 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Grizzlies Hand Blazers First Loss, Run Away in Portland 124-103

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Memphis arrived as the league's other unbeaten team and left 5-0 after a 21-point win in Portland, with Cameron Boozer filling every column and Ja Morant quiet against his old team.

Something had to give in Portland on Thursday, and it was the Blazers' perfect record. Memphis, 4-0 coming in, beat the previously unbeaten Blazers 124-103 and is now 5-0, while Portland falls to 3-1. The game was tight for a stretch, then the Grizzlies pulled away and the margin ended up bigger than the matchup suggested.

It was also the first time Ja Morant faced the franchise that moved on from him, and the night did not turn into a payback game. He played 23 minutes and finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three assists, and the Blazers never found a way to build around him on this evening. Deni Avdija carried Portland with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a team-high 32 minutes. Damian Lillard added only nine points. Looking back at Memphis's decision to part ways with Morant, the Grizzlies did not look like a team with regrets.

The pregame lines made Memphis a road underdog again, even with three road wins already banked. The Grizzlies played like they hadn't read them. Isaiah Stewart scored 18 points in 16 minutes off the bench, Cedric Coward had 17, Zach Edey 13 and GG Jackson 12, and Quinten Post scored 10 in just seven minutes. Portland came in with the best net rating in the NBA, and on this night that advantage disappeared against a deeper and sharper opponent.

Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick and the early Rookie of the Year favorite, tied it together. In 28 minutes he posted 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, running the Memphis offense with a calm that belongs to a much older player. Cam Spencer chipped in eight assists as well. For a rookie, it was the sort of game that backs up the preseason talk about him, and for Portland it was a reminder that a fast start can be matched.

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