Grizzlies vs. Lakers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
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Jeremy Perry
The Memphis Grizzlies have just one win their last five games, which was over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night by a score of 130-114.
The Lakers won the first meeting between the teams 94-92 in a game where Anthony Davis led the way with 27 points. With him out, can the Lakers get the job done in this spot?
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Lakers are currently 8-2 in their past 10 matchups and it is beginning to look like they will go to 9-2 after this matchup. The question is can they cover the spread. They were favored by 16, 12 and 12 in their last three games but they needed overtime in each of those games just to survive.
The Grizzlies are just 4-5 on the year against Western Conference teams, losing two games to the Lakers already this season. They’ve been very streaky, starting the year 2-6, then winning seven straight, and then dropping four of five. It’s hard to know which team we’ll see.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have been riddled with injuries this season and that theme will continue on Friday as they will be without Brandon Clarke, Jaren Jackson Jr. and De’Anthony Melton for this matchup. Jackson Jr. has missed the whole season after getting injured in the bubble last year. Star point guard Ja Morant has only played in 12 games as well, so that gives you an idea of how banged up they’ve been. Morant will be in the lineup for this matchup and should give this team a fighting chance against the reigning NBA champions. Morant has led the way on this team with 18.3 points per game but has gotten great support from Dillon Brooks and Jonas Valanciunas as well.
This Grizzlies team likes to put up their points in the paint, as they are second in the league in points scored there, averaging 53.4 per contest. Valanciunas had just 13 points in the last meeting as Davis kept him in check. With Davis out, Valanciunas could thrive.
Los Angeles Lakers
Boasting a 20-6 record, the Los Angeles Lakers have been strong. The combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis has proved to be too much for teams to handle. Davis led the way for the Lakers in their last meeting with Memphis but he’s out Davis along Alex Caruso. Normally, that pressure could impact how a player performs but not James, he is having one of the best seasons of his accomplished career, averaging 25.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
The concern betting the Lakers here is they haven’t been covering big numbers. They’ve face three straight double-digit spreads and could have lost each of those games. That makes it tough to back them to cover in this spot.
MEM
LAL