Portland, Ore. ? Scottie Pippen was just getting warmed up.

Hampered by a bum knee and a sore back, Pippen settled into an uncharacteristic reserve role this season for the Portland Trail Blazers. There were even whispers the 16-year NBA veteran was facing the end of his storied career.

Yet Pippen put all the rumors to rest with a strong showing in the Trail Blazers’ 94-88 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Pippen played 37 minutes, putting up 16 points along with five assists and five rebounds.

“I am just trying to get back into the flow of playing again. I didn’t get to play all preseason, and the coach has been watching my minutes, but … they needed me to play a little extra,” Pippen said after the game.

The Blazers needed him because of a sudden onslaught of injuries.

Bonzi Wells was a late scratch because of a sore right foot. The starting small forward has been bothered by blisters in the early season.

Then two minutes into the game, starting guard Derek Anderson fell hard and left because of a concussion. He remains hospitalized. And the Blazers were also without 7-foot-3 center Arvydas Sabonis, who has a sore right hamstring.

Portland's Scottie Pippen, right, and Rasheed Wallace, left, strip the ball from Memphis forward Pau Gasol during a game Wednesday in Portland, Ore.

The shortage gave the 37-year-old Pippen a chance to prove he’s not done yet.

“Scottie’s a professional,” Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said. “He’s always ready, whether it’s starting or coming off the bench. He showed that he still has something in that tank.”

Indeed, Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe gave credit to Pippen.

“The guy changes the game for you, and they miss him when he isn’t in there,” Lowe said. “He is still an All-Star, he is as good as they come. He is the difference in this team, no question about it.”

Pippen, who helped the Chicago Bulls win six NBA championships in the 1990s, had surgery on his right knee in June to have bone chips removed. Another surgery was needed when he got an infection.

Twice during the preseason, Pippen had knee fluid drained and did not play in any exhibition games. He also had trouble because of a sore lower back.

Cheeks used Pippen delicately in the first four games of the season. The two-time Olympian averaged 12.3 minutes, playing off the bench for the first time since his rookie year.

Quite a shift from last season, when Pippen started 60 of 62 games and averaged 32.2 minutes.

Pippen, who is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $19.7 million, was accommodating as a bench player. But now he’s ready to show he can still make a difference.

“I was scheduled to take it real slow,” Pippen said. “They wanted to limit my minutes early in the season, but I am feeling really good right now.

“I feel like I am ready to play. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities with more minutes to come.”