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The Memphis Grizzlies take their 14-9 record on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on 12/7/18 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Both these teams are looking for their second straight win but while the Grizzlies have a winning record already, the Pelicans are looking to go over the .500 mark with a win on Friday. Likewise New Orleans will try to close their gap in the Southwest Division team standings.
Memphis’ 2nd ranked Defense
The Grizzlies are currently on top of the Southwest Division with Dallas coming in second at two games behind. Meanwhile, the Pelicans sit at third place just 2.5 games behind the leaders. Memphis is coming off a victory over upstart Clippers and will be looking to win for the third time in four games.
This version of the Grizzlies has revived their Grit and Grind persona, coming in second overall in scoring defense, allowing their opponents to score just 102.3 points per game. The Grizzlies rank last in the league in rebounding at 39.7 boards per contest. Offensively, Memphis is 19th in assists at 23.5 helpers per contest. Memphis scores just an average of 104.0 points per game, good for 27th in the entire NBA.
Memphis Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans 12/7/18
Moneyline Odds: Grizzlies +165, Pelicans -190
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/7/18
Pelicans’ 2nd Ranked Offense
After winning just four times in their last ten games, the New Orleans Pelicans have dropped to a mediocre .500 record and to third in the Southwest Division. Despite that, the Pelicans trail their division leaders Memphis Grizzlies by just 2.5 games with still truckloads of games left to play. A win over Memphis on Friday not only puts the Pelicans above the .500 mark again but it also cuts the Grizzlies’ lead in the team standings.
Anthony Davis is having another MVP type of season for the Pelicans. The Brow is averaging 27.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game to lead his team in all three categories. Jrue Holiday is the team leader in assists and steals at 9.0 and 1.7 per game, respectively. Holiday is also averaging 20.4 points per game. Power forwards Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle are also scoring 18 points apiece per night.
Who Wins?
The Grizzlies and Pelicans have played each other a total of 60 times in the NBA regular season. The Pelicans lead the series 32-28 with New Orleans winning four out of the last six meetings including the last two. New Orleans has won three out of the last four meetings at their home court.
The Grizzlies are 2-4 SU in their last six games and are 4-2 SU in their last six games on the road. The Pelicans are 3-6 SU in their last nine games played and are 10-3 SU in 13 home games played this season. Head to head, the Grizzlies are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games against the Pelicans but New Orleans is 17-8 SU in their last 25 home games against Memphis.
New Orleans is the second highest scoring team in the league with their 118.7 points per game. The Pelicans are also the 3rd best passing team in the NBA at 27.2 assists per game and 5th overall in rebounding at 48.0 rebounds per game. However, the Pelicans are among the bottom five in points allowed, ranking 27th in scoring defense at 116.3 points per game.
Julius Randle should be a key player in this game as the former Laker is averaging 20.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in his last 10 games played. Randle had a monster 27 points-18 rebounds effort during the Pelicans’ 132-106 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks last December 5th. Randle and Nikola Mirotic should give the Grizzlies problems especially since Memphis is last in the league in rebounding. I think the New Orleans strong frontline is going to be the key to this game.
We’re picking the New Orleans Pelicans to beat the Memphis Grizzlies on 12/7/18.
Other Bets To Make
Memphis is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played and 4-2 ATS in their last six games on the road. New Orleans is 12-14 ATS in 26 games played this season and are 7-6 ATS in 13 home games played so far. Head to head, the Pelicans are 9-4 ATS in their last home 13 games against the Grizzlies but Memphis is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall against the Pelicans.
Memphis Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans 12/7/18
Spread Odds: Grizzlies +4.5 (-109), Pelicans -4.5 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/7/18
Davis and Holiday should offset Conley and Gasol but The Pelicans have the more solid supporting cast with Mirotic, Randle and Moore. Memphis is also 0-4 ATS in their last four games on one day rest and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when their opponent scored 100 or more points in their previous game. The Pelicans are also 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against opponents with a winning SU record.
Prediction: Pelicans -4.5
The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Grizzlies but the under is 7-5 in Memphis’ 12 road games played so far this season. The total has gone over in eight out of the 12 games played by the Pelicans and the over is also 7-6 in the 13 home games played by New Orleans. Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last six games between these two teams but the under has hit in five out of their last six games in New Orleans.
Memphis Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans 12/7/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 217.5 -109, Under 217.5 -109
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/7/18
This game pits offense vs defense with New Orleans having the 2nd best scoring team in the league and Memphis owning the 2nd best scoring defense in the NBA. But it’s interesting that the over is 15-7 in Memphis’ last 22 games against teams teams with winning records. With no injuries on both sides, I think the Pelicans playing at home are going to dictate the tempo of this contest.
Prediction: Over 217
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