Gary Trent Jr. Advances to NBA Playoffs, Grayson Allen Eliminated

Gary Trent Jr. and the Portland Trail Blazers eliminated Grayson Allen and the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA’s first play-in series for the eighth seed in the West.

The two former Blue Devils were matched up in the opener to the postseason in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble. Teams completed their regular season schedule, then, if any ninth place team was within four games of the eighth place team, they would play a best of three series to determine the final playoff spot.

By virtue of having the eighth spot at the end of the schedule, Portland was given a one-game advantage in the series and had to win just one more, while Memphis had to win two.

The Blazers won on Saturday, 126-122 to wrap things up.

Allen came off the bench to play 23 minutes. He hit 1-of-3 from the field and missed his only three-point attempt. Allen added five rebounds and finished with three points as his season came to an end.

Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow, two other former Duke players, were on the Memphis roster, but both suffered injuries and neither played the entire time the league was in the Orlando Bubble.

Trent came off the bench for 35 minutes for Portland, hitting 3-of-6, 1-of-3 from three for eight points. He also added five steals, which is a career high for the second-year pro.

The Trail Blazers now play the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. That will be another Duke-on-Duke matchup as 2015 national champion Quinn Cook is a backup guard for L.A.

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