Jusuf Nurkic's fourth quarter effort lifts Blazers over Grizzlies / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports Credit Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Jusuf Nurkic scored 14 of his season-high 32 points in the fourth quarter, Anfernee Simons hit 5-of-10 3-point attempts en route to 31 points, and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers snapped the Memphis Grizzlies' six-game winning streak in a 123-119 decision on Wednesday.

2-pointers this season

52%32,2Points made:32,2Accuracy:52,4%Place in standings:2Record max:44Record min:18Most made 2FGs:Ja MorantTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

After trailing 2-0 49 seconds into Wednesday's contest, Portland never fell behind again until the 4:56 mark of the fourth quarter. The Blazers' advantage grew to as many as 14 points behind the combination of Simons, who recorded his fourth consecutive game of at least 29 points, and Josh Hart.

Hart, acquired in a trade from New Orleans last week, scored 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Hart has at least 22 in each of his first three games since joining the Portland lineup.

With Ja Morant scoring a season-high 44 points and Desmond Bane adding 30 points, Memphis chipped away at the deficit.

Bane scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, all of which came in a burst spanning just 2:25. He powered a runner over Simons to cap the spurt and give the Grizzlies their first lead since the game's opening minutes.

The two sides went back and forth for the next few possessions. Memphis recaptured the lead first on two of Morant's 21 made free throws then on a Brandon Clarke tip-in. Clarke finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Nurkic took over from there.

He scored nine consecutive Blazers points over 2:27, giving Portland the lead for good on a pair of free throws. Simons put the game away on his last 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining.

Justise Winslow scored 16 points for Portland, including a free throw with nine seconds left that kept the Blazers' lead at two possessions. Ben McLemore added 14 points off the bench.

The win is Portland's fourth straight, matching the team's longest streak of the season. The loss was Memphis' first at home since Jan. 14.

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