NBA Play-in: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors Preview, Odds, Prediction

Both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors had tough games on Wednesday night, and there is no time for them to recover from the same too much. The stakes in this one are very high, a playoff seed, and a chance to make this season much better than it will be if they lose. The Grizzlies and the Warriors met recently in the regular-season finale, and that one was a direct clash for the 8th spot in the West.

Preview

Memphis Grizzlies (+135) defeated the Spurs in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament, 100-96. It was a very tough match for the Grizzlies, who opened it extremely well but managed to waste almost all of their 19-point lead created in the opening 19 minutes.

However, they wouldn’t allow the Spurs to catch their swing, even though Gregg Popovich’s side took the lead for one moment in the fourth, 83-81. It shows that Taylor Jenkins’ youth is slowly maturing and that they can take hits without backing out after a few tough ones.

Jonas Valanciunas was masterful against the Spurs. The big man from Lithuania scored 23 points and had the same number of rebounds while shooting 10-for-16 from the field. His appearance under and around the rim disturbed the Spurs, opening a lot of free space to other teammates who used that convenience well. Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, while Ja Morant had 20. What was noticeable is that the Grizzlies shot from deep pretty badly, 7-for-22.

Golden State Warriors (-165) were on the verge of beating the Lakers, but LeBron James’ three prevented them from getting that seventh spot in the conference, which is why they need to correct things against the Grizzlies.

The Warriors had a 55-42 lead against the Lakers during halftime, but they couldn’t keep up with the same tempo, and eventually, the champions rallied back. That was because they had more available options in offense, while on the other side, the Dub Nation had just Steph Curry.

He had 37 points, with six threes in nine tries, and was unstoppable throughout the majority of the game. Unfortunately, apart from Andrew Wiggins who had 21 buckets and who wasn’t that constant, Steve Kerr’s side was without propper weapons on the attacking side of the game.

Head to Head Games

The Warriors lead 2-1 in the regular-season matchups. The first two games were in Tennessee, with GSW winning the initial one, 116-103, and losing the day after, 111-103. Golden State beat Memphis in 113-101 in the final match of the season. Curry had 46 buckets in that one.

Prediction

The spread on the Warriors is -3.5, and after last night’s game against the Lakers, we strongly believe that they have everything that it takes not only to win but also to cover this distance. Curry will be unstoppable once again, and hopefully, for the Warriors, he will have more of his teammates behind him in this event. Last Sunday’s event is something that reassures us that our pick is realistic because we didn’t see the Grizzlies capable of competing with the GSW.