Win or Go Home: Trail Blazers, Grizzlies clash for last playoff spot
MANILA, Philippines — The 2019-20 NBA playoffs cast is almost complete, with only the last spot in the Western Conference up for grabs.
After a watertight race for the eighth and ninth seeds in the West, the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies are set to clash to fight another day in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Damian Lillard and the Blazers will face off against rookie sensation Ja Morant and the Grizzlies with a twice-to-beat advantage in the play-in games for the postseason beginning on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
If the Grizzlies manage to beat Portland in their first meeting, the play-in goes to a winner-take-all rubber match on Sunday (Monday in Manila).
The winner of the play-in will complete the 16-team cast of the playoffs and will earn the right to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
With momentum and the twice-to-beat advantage on their side, the Blazers are favored to go through to the postseason.
Over his past five games, Lillard has scored 221 points in 205 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have been stuttering in the NBA bubble, only winning two of their eight seeding games since the restart.
But Memphis has done it when it has mattered the most so there's no counting them out yet.
Out to clinch the Rookie of the Year Award and lead his squad to the postseason in his first year, Morant doesn't want to end his NBA season early.
In 67 games this season, Morant has averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists per game.
The first play-in game is set to tip off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday (2:30 a.m., Sunday in Manila).
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