NBA: Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview, Odds, Prediction

Ja Morant and his Memphis Grizzlies will take on the San Antonio Spurs in Texas. The Grizzlies have been one of the best, if not the best, team in the league until one week ago. But after losing to Dallas and snapping their 11-win streak, the Taylor Jenkins boys began producing mixed results. On top of that, they are playing their fourth consecutive game on the road tonight. As for the Spurs, they are mediocre this year, as was the case in the previous ones. One win followed by two losses is something that became normal for Gregg Popovich’s unit.

Preview

Memphis Grizzlies (32-17, -150) again lost to Dallas Mavericks, this time on the road. It seems that there is something with Luka and the Mavs that isn’t suiting the Grizzlies very well. As mentioned, they played three consecutive games on the road. The first was in Milwaukee, where Bucks won, 126-114, after that, Morant and the co. won in Denver, 122-118, before losing to Dallas, 104-91.

We know that they didn’t have three very important players at disposal, Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, and Dillon Brooks, but still, that can’t be an alibi for a poor first half, that saw the Mavs pulled away to 14 points. Three-point shooting was terrible, with the Grizzlies hitting only four of 24 tries.

Morant scored 35 points, had 13 boards and six assists, but with seven turnovers. Melton scored 12 buckets, and Jaren Jackson Jr had 10, and these guys were the only ones with a double-digit number of points in Memphis.

San Antonio Spurs (18-30, +130) demolished the Houston Rockets in the state derby in the Rocket City. An excellent third and the third period were the difference-makers as Spurs outscored the hosts by 27 points in those two sequences. The final result was 134-104 for the Spurs.

Popovich’s team shot 57.1% from the field and had only six free throws, which tells enough about their shooting performance. The Spurs had 58 field goals made in this event, which is astonishing.

Eight of their players had double-digit numbers in their points column. Dejuonte Murray scored 19 with 10 assists, Jakob Poeltl scored 18 and had nine boards, while Keldon Johnson added 16. Drew Eubanks was very good off the bench with 13 points and nine boards.

Head to Head Games

The first meeting between the two sides took place on New Year’s day, and the Grizzlies won, 118-105. Morant led the way with 20 points, eight assists, and six boards among the hosts, Tyus Jones had 18 points, Clarke and Bane 17. Among the Spurs, three players scored 15 points each, Poeltl, White, and Forbes.

Prediction

The Spurs are tired, but also with high morale because of a win over the Rockets. On the other side, the Grizzlies are banged up and tired. For the moment, it seems that Bane, Brooks, and Clarke won’t play for sure, which is a significant handicap for the guests. That is why we suggest betting on the Spurs to defend a +3.5-point spread. For those who are more courageous, putting money on their win is a very good choice, with the current odds at +125.

Pick: Spurs +3.5 -110