Grizzlies vs. Warriors Point Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Jeremy Perry
On the surface, it seems like a really bad matchup for Memphis as they are a grind-it-out type of team on offense while the Warriors are explosive. On top of that, the Warriors have yet to lose at home this season (5-0). Can the Grizzlies pull off the epic upset or at least cover? Let’s take a closer look.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Grizzlies are 5-3 this year but at a closer look, they haven’t fared well against winning teams. Their wins have come against Atlanta, Utah (twice), Phoenix and Washington. None of those teams are above .500. In their two games against teams with a winning record, they lost by 28 at Indiana and by seven at Sacramento.
The Warriors have covered six of their last seven games. Overall, this has been a fairly even series of late. The Warriors have won three of the last four meetings at home – and four of the last seven overall – but the Grizzlies are 2-2 ATS in Golden State and 4-3 ATS overall.
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis has been one of the league’s early surprise teams, They are 5-3 as they enter Monday’s contest and that’s impressive considering they were 22-60 last year. They’re healthy again as Mike Conley is back and is giving them the backcourt support they need. He leads the team with 19.3 points per game and 5.9 assists per game. Inside, the team relies on Marc Gasol, who is chipping in 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The challenge here is that the Grizzlies are not a very deep team. They also figure to be overmatched on the perimeter and wings as guys like Garrett Temple, Shelvin Mack and Dillon Brooks are going to have their hands full with three to four All-Stars.
The Grizzlies need to hope that Golden State has off night or simply isn’t too focused. Given that it’s the Grizzlies who are in a back-to-back situation and that the Warriors are playing really well right now, that’s not likely.
Golden State Warriors
Almost everything has gone right for the Warriors so far. They enter Monday’s game having won seven straight and nine of their first 10 games. Their average margin of victory during this seven-game undefeated streak is by 18.3 points per game.
In terms of this particular matchup, it’s a great one for the Warriors. They average a league-best 124.1 points per game while the Grizzlies are 27th at 104.0. Memphis is dead-last in the NBA in terms of road scoring, averaging a paltry 95.4 points per outing. They’re the only team that averages less than 100 points per game on the road.
Making matters worse is that Memphis just lost on the road in Phoenix last night. It’s tough to see them winning at Golden State in a back-to-back if they can’t even win at Phoenix, who is one of the worst teams in the NBA. Also keep in mind that this will be the Grizzlies third road game in four nights.
