NBA: LA Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview, Odds, Prediction

The LA Clippers visit the Memphis Grizzlies this Thursday night. Paul George and his boys won eight of the last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies slowed down in recent times, having three losses in four contests. The Clippers are after the NBA title, while on the other side, the Memphis Grizzlies want to secure a direct berth for the playoffs. Therefore, a win is a must for both sides in tonight’s matchup, and we expect to see one hell of a battle at the FedEx Forum.

Preview

LA Clippers (9-5, -120) have been quite solid over the last few weeks, posting good results. Most of their games have been at Staples, and the Clips used this convenience to record wins in series. In the past five, they’ve had only one loss, vs. Bulls, and four victories over Blazers, Heat, Timberwolves, and the Spurs.

The clash against the Spurs was two days ago, and it ended 106-92. Paul George was the guy who ran things for the hosts, with 34 points and nine boards. PG had only one miss from the free-throw line in 13 tries.

Reggie Jackson was, as usual, very useful. The LAC point guard didn’t have high shooting percentages, but in the end, he did rack up 21 points with six boards and four assists. Jackson hit five threes in 17 shots, which did cast a shadow on his overall performance. The Clippers had 52 boards, 12 more than the guests, which certainly made the difference.

Memphis Grizzlies (7-7, +100) broke a three-game negative skid with a win over the sorry Houston Rockets. Previously, Morant and the Co. have lost at home to the Hornets and the Suns, before experiencing another defeat, against the Pelicans in New Orleans.

Trashing the Rockets, 136-102, might be handy for Taylor Jenkins’ guys to boost morale and gain a little confidence. The Grizzlies scored at least 30 points in each period, having all but one player on their roster delivering points.

Morant was the top scorer, with 22 buckets, Jaren Jackson Jr. had 18, while Dillon Brooks added 16. Memphis shot 54.2% from the field, hitting 16 threes as well while limiting the Rockets to just 37.9% of FG. As said, this was one-sided domination, in which the Grizzlies controlled all the aspects of the game from the tip-off until the end.

Head to Head

This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the first ending in Memphis’ favor, 120-114. Despite being played at Staples, and Paul George dropping 41 buckets, the Grizzlies went back to Tennessee with a W. Ja Morant scored 28 points and had 8 assists, De’Anthony Melton had 22, Jackson 21, and Desmond Bane 19. The Grizzlies had a balanced attack which was the key to their triumph.

Prediction

With the current situation, we are leaning towards the Clippers. They are in better shape, while the Grizzlies look a bit slow right now. LAC posted wins against several playoff teams from both conferences, while Memphis struggled to beat much weaker opponents. This is a very close contest, but even so, our pick would be the guests. The odds are quite well -120, and we are sticking with them.

Pick: Clippers -120