NBA: Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Denver Nuggets visit the Memphis Grizzlies in one intriguing matchup, that will also be nationally televised in the USA. On one side, we have Nikola Jokic, the frontrunner for the MVP award, and the guy who isn’t getting the credit he deserves in that race. On the other is Ja Morant, one of the most exciting prospects in the league, who has the potential to become the MVP one day. Both the Nuggets and the Grizzlies are playoff contenders, which adds even more spice to tonight’s event.

Preview

Denver Nuggets (21-15, -160) are favorites here. But since this presents their first match following an All-Star break, we need to be cautious here. Jokic was the starter for Team LeBron, but he won’t have any energy problem because the Serb played for just 13 minutes.

The Joker has 27.1 points, 11 boards, and 8.6 assists per game, with the highest PER in the league – 31.61. He is even better over the last 10 matches, with 28.7 buckets shooting 57.7% from the field and 51.4% from downtown.

Denver is especially pleased to see Michael Porter Jr. picking up the pace, with the youngster dropping 24 points against the Pacers in the last match before the pause. He added 11 boards, two steals, and a block as well in that event. Porter Jr’s presence is of the utmost importance for the Nuggets in the future period, because he needs to be that sixth guy that comes off the bench and leads the second unit.

Memphis Grizzlies (17-16, +140) had a nice start following the All-Star, beating the Washington Wizards, 127-112, which was their third win in the past four games, fourth in the previous six.

Jonas Valanciunas was the man with 29 points and 20 rebounds. The Lithuanian’s form is going upwards, as he becomes more and more involved in Memphis’s attack. Valanciunas was primarily a defensive player, but right now, we are witnessing him becoming one of the better weapons for Taylor Jenkins. He averages 16 points and 11.6 boards, with 54.1% shooting from the field.

Grizzlies have a solid defense with 110.8 points allowed, and what is good for them here is that they have enormous space for improvement. The offense is highly diversified, with 10 players scoring eight or more points. Of course, Morant leads the way with 19.8 points per match.

Head to Head Games

The Nuggets won two out of three games last year, but the Grizzlies were the last ones to celebrate in head-to-head clashes. That event took place on January 28, in Memphis, with the Grizz’s posting a 104-96 win.

Prediction

We are tempted to play Under on a total number of points. The line is set at 228 buckets, which could be the jackpot here. Jokic will need to face Valnciunas, who can slow him down in certain moments. The Nuggets will play with the shortened rotation, and that too will decrease the number of points and the tempo of the match. We deliberately mentioned that Memphis has a solid defense, making an intro for our final pick here, which is Under. It seems more logical than betting on one side to win the game because this one can really go either way.