Memphis Grizzlies vs. Toronto Raptors Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
-
Charlie Grant
Break out your Shareef-Abdur-Rahim throwback jersey because the Grizzlies are coming back to Toronto. The Memphis Grizzlies are rumoured to be sellers at the trade deadline but are covering spreads on a consistent basis. Will the Raptors hand their former Canadian cousins their 34th loss of the season on Super Bowl Sunday?
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Toronto battered the Blazers with a 37-point first quarter and never looked back. They won and covered in the 130-105 result and improved to 35-16 straight up and 27-24 against the spread on the season. The victory pushed the Raptors’ home record to 20-4 SU and 13-11 ATS. The Grizzlies improved to 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games and 13-4 ATS in their last 17 following Thursday’s cover in Detroit as 8.5-point underdogs. The Pistons won outright 104-102 in what was Blake Griffin’s debut game with his new club.
Memphis is 18-33 SU and 23-26-2 ATS this season and just 5-18 SU in its 23 away games. The over is 6-1 in the Grizzlies’ last seven games and 23-27-1 overall. The under is 27-8 in the last 35 meetings between these two clubs and the Raptors are 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine games against Memphis.
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis’ seven-year streak of consecutive trips to the postseason is likely end in 2018. The club is cursed with injuries up and down its roster beginning with Mike Conley Jr. The veteran point guard and team leader in points and assists per game a year ago is out for the season with a left heel injury. His replacement, Tyreke Evans, is having a terrific campaign but has been shut down until the trade deadline. The Grizzlies are hoping to flip Evans to a contender for a future first round pick. Former All-Star centre Marc Gasol will be among the few Memphis players on the floor Raptors fans will recognize. The Grizzlies are low on talent but their players are full of fight as most are playing to stay up in the league.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto made 19 three-pointers on Friday against Portland which is the second most triples in a game in the franchise’s history. The Raps shot 47.5 percent from downtown in the contest but they’re still among the eight least accurate NBA squads on 3-pointers. Expect Jonas Valanciunas to see more time on the floor with the Raptors playing a team with a traditional big man as its best player. Gasol is a former Defensive Player of the Year but he could have his hand full against the Raptors starting pivot. Valanciunas is averaging 18.8 points and 9.8 rebounds over his last five games.
