NBA: Brooklyn Nets vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview, Odds, Prediction

After four games in the West, the Brooklyn Nets are back home, where they meet the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the best teams in the West and the NBA. The team from Tennessee comes to Barclays center without its best player, Ja Moran, who picked up an injury and will spend some time on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the hosts are still without Kyrie Irving, who can play after the suspension, but that isn’t certain. Brooklyn showed signs of life on its tour and played well without Kyrie, so many fans are starting to wonder if Uncle Drew is necessary at all.

Preview

Memphis Grizzlies (10-6, +240) is without Ja Morant, who sprained his ankle, and for the moment, the medical staff didn’t want to give any precise prognosis about his comeback. They only issued a statement that the superstar guard will miss some time playing.

Even though many believe that this is a big blow, and that the Grizzlies can’t play well without Ja, we want to remind them about Memphis’ run last year, which started with Morant injured. Taylor Jenkins’ crew was the best in the league without the top star and was the biggest surprise at that moment.

Following two losses on the road, to the Wizards, 102-92, and the Pelicans, 113-102, the Grizzlies bounced back, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-110. Jaren Jackson Jr had 25 buckets and 12 boards in this event, but he, too, won’t play in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Nets (7-9, -305) are massive favorites after a long time. They had four games on the road, winning and losing two, trashing the LA Clippers 110-95 and squeezing a victory over the Trail Blazers, 109-107, while failing to the Lakers 116-103 and the Kings, 153-121.

As we can see, there are a lot of oscillations in their game, but overall, we have to admit that the Nets look healthier without Kyrie. If Ben Simmons can constantly repeat his stats and contribution from the game against the Blazers once he scored 15 points and grabbed 13 boards with seven assists, that would propel the Nets to the top of the East.

Kevin Durant does his job very professionally, despite his emotional bursts from time to time. He scored 35 points against the Blazers, Yuta Watanabe scored 20, and Joe Harris scored 15. The Nets are much more positive with Kyrie out, as he often plays actions on his own, neglecting his teammates.

Head to Head Games

The Nets and the Grizzlies already met once this year, and the Grizzlies won at home, 134-124, which was their seventh consecutive victory over Brooklyn. Back then, we saw a showdown, with Durant and Kyrie scoring 37 points each, while on the other side, Bane and Morant had 38 apiece.

Prediction

The Nets are playing at home after a long time, eager to improve the atmosphere at the Barclays. Beating the Trail Blazers in the closing seconds boosted their morale very much, so we expect Durant and the boys to take that swing into this event and use it on the flat Grizzlies, who face certain problems. Therefore, we go with the Nets’ triumph.

Pick: Nets win -305