NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies meet in Tennessee on Saturday night. This was supposed to be a delight for all the NBA fans, but the injuries massacred both sides. It appears that the biggest stars on both ends won’t be available to play on Saturday. Morant is out due to his knee injury, while on the other end, Giannis, too, has certain issues with his knee. Though, the chances of seeing the two-time NBA MVP are much higher than Morant. Even without these two guys, this is an exciting clash. 

Preview

Milwaukee Bucks (46-27, -105) has back-to-back wins, both of them at home. The first one was against the Chicago Bulls, while the second took place vs. Washington Wizards, 114-102. Mike Budenholzer’s unit has certain chances of reaching the top seed in the East, but they aren’t controlling their destiny. 

The champs immediately set the pace, taking the first quarter in their favor, 32-13, and after that routinely keeping that lead until the end. They shot 51.9% from the fied, and scored 16 threes in 35 attempts. After all, they are one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the league. 

Jrue Holiday took over the scoring duties with 24 points with Giannis out, and he also had 10 assists. Grayson Allen had 21 points, hitting five threes, while Pat Connaughton scored 16 buckets off the bench. Middleton was out too due to an injury. 

Memphis Grizzlies (51-23, -117) currently has three wins in a row. They are one of few teams who have the same or even a better record without the leading star in the lineup. With or without Morant involved, these guys are dropping 130 or more buckets. 

After beating the Rockets on the road, the Grizzlies triumphed twice at home vs Nets before trashing the Pacers 133-103. We saw one-sided domination, with the Grizzlies beating the Pacers 44-23 in the opening period and increasing that lead until the end.

Desmond Bane had 30 points, Jaren Jackson Jr 19, De’Anthony Melton 19, John Konchar 18, both off the bench, the same as Xavier Tillman who had 16 buckets. Steven Adams had only six points, with the same number of assists, but with 17 boards. As usual, his role on both ends of the floor was massive. 

Head to Head Games 

Milwaukee was better in the first meeting back on January 19 in Wisconsin, 126-114. Giannis and Ja had a showdown, with them being the top scorers in their respective teams. The Greek Freak dropped 33 points with 15 boards and seven assists. Khris Middleton added 27, while Bobby Portis scored 14 with 10 boards.

Morant had 33 points too, with 14 assists and eight boards, nearly missing a triple-double, while JJJ dropped 29 with nine boards and four blocks. 

Prediction

The very big news for the Bucks is that Middleton won’t play. His wrist is problematic, and it appears that Budenholzer wants to preserve one of his most influential players ready for the postseason. The Grizzlies will have a home-court edge and are adapted to playing without top stars. That is why we pick their win as the best possible recommendation in this case. 

Pick: Grizzlies win