NBA: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Sacramento Kings Preview, Odds, Prediction

Memphis Grizzlies take on the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night at the Golden One Center in the capital of California. The two sides are heading in opposite directions, some might say. The Grizzlies have three wins and one loss, and on the other side, the Kings didn’t manage to win one event in the opening three clashes. Apparently, there won’t be any playoff battle for them this year, judging by the early performances.

Preview

Memphis Grizzlies (3-1, TBA) have three wins and one defeat. That failure came on the road in Dallas where Mavs beat the rivals 137-96, wiping the floor with Morant and the crew. After all this, the Grizzlies headed back home, regrouped, and beat the Nets 134-124.

It was a wonderful game for Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, with these two guys scoring 38 points each, using the sloppiness of the Nets’ defense, notably Kyrie Irving, who did deliver 37 points but didn’t provide any effort to protect his basket. That’s why Memphis’ guards had the space for chopping Brooklyn and delivering one of the best games at FedEx Forum ever. The difference in stats were three-pointers, with the guests making only nine of them and the Grizzlies 16.

Previously, the Grizzlies won at home on the opening night, beating the New York Knicks, 115-112 after overtime, and triumphed against the Houston Rockets in Texas, 129-122. Overall, they have a solid start to the season according to the expectations.

Sacramento Kings (0-3, TBA) lost all three events, the most recent in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors. The champions were better, 130-125, in a game that saw them dropping 89 points in the opening half. Yes you’ve read it right, 89 points in the first two periods.

The Kings did make a push in the second half, but they didn’t have the juice or the quality to flip the result and post the first victory of the year. Sabonis, Fox and the boys came awfully near, but the champs rebuffed their attack.

Fox was 1-for-6 for downtown, with 26 points and 10 assists, and five boards. Sabonis had a double-double with 19 buckets and 14 boards, while Keegan Murray and Malik Monk scored 16 points each, off the bench. The latter had eight assists and seven boards as well.

Head to Head Games

The Grizzlies triumphed in all three meetings last year, beating the Kings once at home, 128-101, and twice on the road, 124-105 and 127-102. They currently ride a streak of six consecutive victories over this rival, the majority of them pretty dominant and confident.

Prediction

The way the Grizzlies play, and the way the Kings perform, especially on the defensive side of the ball, we expect to see the hosts triumphing and scoring at least 120 points. Some would say that this is a cheeky prediction and assumption, but be sure that the Grizzlies have the same offensive tempo as the Warriors, who dropped almost 90 points in the opening half of their contest against the Kings. For those who want to increase the odds take the Grizzlies to cover a 6.5-point spread.

Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -6.5