NBA: Miami Heat vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Miami Heat showed their intention to attack the title this season, and the match against the Memphis Grizzlies will be a perfect test of whether they are capable of doing so or not. The Heat are 4-1, looking pretty confident and strong. Up until this point, they defeated two of the biggest candidates in their conference, setting the tone in the race for the No.1 seed. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are determined to reach the playoffs, but not through the play-in tournament but directly.

Preview

Miami Heat (4-1, +110) are not the favorites in this match, probably because they play the second of back-to-back games. Last night they faced a very good Charlotte team and beat it at home, 114-99.

The Heat have the best defense in the league, limiting their rivals to only 95 points and decreasing the shooting percentage to 39.2%. In all other defensive parameters, Erik Spoelstra’s side is very, very confident, but once you have Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, that is not strange at all. These two guys were excellent last night, Buttler had 32 points and 10 boards, while Adebayo posted a strong double-double with 26 points and 19 boards.

Tyler Herro is, however, the man in the middle here, and the x-factor for the Heat. He dropped 26 off the bench for the Heat, and he reached 110 points in the first five games, setting a new franchise record.

Memphis Grizzlies (3-2, -130) played four consecutive road matches and are now back at their FedEx Forum. After opening the season with two wins, they would lose the LA Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers but eventually managed to bounce back quickly, beating the Warriors in Chase Center, 104-101 after OT.

Overall this team likes to attack, not to create the difference through making stops on the other end. Overall, the Grizzlies’ defense is one of the worst in the league, with all the key parameters being among the bottom 10.

But when you have Ja Morant, something like that can be covered up. The former Rookie of the Year averaged 30.4 points per game and 54.4% shooting from the field, which is impressive when considering the volume of his attempts. Yet, we can’t neglect the remaining part of the team. The biggest strength of the Grizz’s is the fact that they have several players who can score 10 or more points. For instance, Desmond Bane averages 19.2, Jaren Jackson has 13, etc.

Head to Head Games

Memphis won both games last year. The first in Tennessee ended 89-85 for the hosts, while the second finished 124-112, also for the Grizzlies.

Prediction

Who will win here, the defense or the offense? The main characteristic of the hosts is that they play matches with a high number of possessions. Against the Heat, that won’t be possible, because Kyle Lowey, Butler, and the rest of the backcourt will impose a much slower tempo than usual. Miami looks very confident, and they had a few games against the offensive-minded teams, in each one, ending up on the winning side. That is the reason why we back up their victory at FedEx Forum as well.

Pick: Miami Heat Win