Grizzlies Blow Out Blazers 124-103 Despite Morant's Hamstring Injury

The Memphis Grizzlies improved to 5-0 with a 124-103 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night at Moda Center. The defining storyline: Ja Morant, facing the franchise that traded him, was ruled out with a hamstring injury, and Memphis — already 4-0 without him — kept rolling.

Cameron Boozer dominated with a historic triple-double to keep the Grizzlies unbeaten. Portland, which entered 3-0 with an average margin of 18.7 points, saw its perfect start end in a second half that unraveled on both ends.

How our premium pick graded out

We sold subscribers Portland as a -7.5 home favorite, leaning on the Blazers' pace, pressure, and plus-18.7 margin against a Memphis team the market seemed to undervalue. That pick missed — badly. The Blazers didn't just fail to cover; they lost outright by 21 points. The gap between record and price that looked like value instead exposed a Portland team that hadn't faced a defense of Memphis's tier.

Our pre-game model's moneyline call on Portland also lost. The model's spread lean toward Memphis and its Over call both pointed the right direction, though the final total result isn't something we'll claim credit for without confirmation.

What this means going forward

Undefeated records can inflate prices, and Portland's 3-0 start came against softer competition. Until the Blazers prove they can handle elite defensive pressure, we'll be slower to back them as big home favorites. Memphis, meanwhile, has shown it can win without Morant — a factor worth tracking in future lines.