It’s a battle between two of the Bottom 6 teams in the NBA when the Memphis Grizzlies play the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Monday night.
The Grizzlies are the 6th worst team in the NBA this season with their 6-16 SU record. Memphis is currently 4th in the Southwest Division and 10 games behind the Dallas Mavericks in the divisional standings. The Warriors are 5-19 SU on the season and they have the second-worst record in the league behind the New York Knicks. Golden State sits at the bottom of the Pacific Division where they are 15.5 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams are missing key players so it will be interesting to see whose bench steps up and win this game.
Three Straight Losses
The Memphis Grizzlies dropped their third straight game when they lost to the Utah Jazz 112-126. The Grizzlies have lost nine out of their last 10 games played and they have dropped to 6-16 SU on the season. Memphis has played its last four games without leading scorer Ja Morant who is out with back soreness. Memphis also played without Brandon Clarke, Kyle Anderson and John Konchar.
Rookie Ja Morant leads Memphis in scoring and passing at 18.6 points and 6.4 assists per game. The Grizzlies’ prized rookie is also the team leader in steals at 1.4 picks this season. However, Morant has missed the last four games with a back problem. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while Jaren Jackson leads the team in blocks at 1.1 blocks per game while also scoring 15.7 points per game.
The Grizzlies are 20th in the league in team scoring at 108.5 points per game. They have the 4th worst scoring defense in the NBA at 116.5 points per game allowed. Memphis ranks 14th off the glass with 45.5 rebounds per game and they are 3rd in assists at 26.5 dimes per contest.
Snap Four-Game Losing Streak
The Golden State Warriors’ horror season continues. After losing the Splash Brothers to injury and Kevin Durant to free agency, the former three-time champs are among the worst teams in the league. The Dubs go home after going 1-4 SU on their five-game road trip but are coming off a close 100-98 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Eric Paschall leads the Warriors in scoring at 17.1 points per game. Alec Burks is contributing 15.0 points and 2.8 assists per game while Glen Robinson III is scoring 11.8 points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per outing. Willie Cauley-Stein leads the Warriors with 6.5 rebounds while also scoring 7.6 points per game.
Golden State is 27th in the league in scoring at 104.7 points per game this season. The Dubs are ranked 23rd in rebounding at 43.2 boards hauled per contest and they are also 17th in passing at 23.8 assists per game. Golden State has the 10th worst scoring defense overall at 114.0 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
The Grizzlies are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played. Memphis is 5-13 SU in their last 18 games played on the road. The Warriors are 3-14 SU in their last 17 games played. Golden State is 2-10 SU in their last 10 games played on the road. Head to head, the Warriors are 8-2 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Grizzlies, including 5-0 SU in their last five encounters and 5-0 SU in their last five games played in Golden State.
Memphis is on a rebuilding season yet they have shown signs of fast-tracking their rebuild behind the solid play of rookie Ja Morant. But Morant has missed their last four games and is still questionable for this contest. Memphis is also without Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke who are two of their key young players.
The Warriors’ injury woes are no secret. This team is without its top three scorers from last season and D’Angelo Russell has just gotten back in action after spending some time in the injured list too. With Draymond Green also healthy, the Warriors may have the edge here. Golden State is also playing at their home floor where three of their wins have come from this season.
These are two of the worst teams in the league this season and both are suffering from the injury bug right now. Memphis is taking a bigger hit though with Morant out because he is the heart and soul of that team. The Dubs have played without their stars all-season long and I think they will be ready for the Grizzlies. The Warriors beat the Grizzlies by 19 points in their first meeting of the season. I think they’ll win again on Monday.
Prediction: Golden State Warriors
Other Bets to Make
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. The Grizzlies are 3-6 ATS in nine road games played this season. Golden State is 11-12-1 ATS in 24 games played this season. The Dubs are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played against the Southwest Division, and 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games in December. Head to head, the Warriors are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Grizzlies.
Grizzlies
+3 (-110)
Warriors
-3 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 12/09/19
The Warriors have outscored the Grizzlies by an average of 9.3 points per game in their last 10 meetings and by 6.33 points per game in their last three games played. Memphis may be without their top scorer in this game while the Warriors have D’Angelo Russell back in action. I like the Dubs to cover this manageable spread at home.
Prediction: Warriors -3
The total has gone under in 12 out of the 22 games played by the Grizzlies this season. The under is 5-4 in Memphis’ nine road games played this year, and the under is also 6-3 in their last nine games against the Western Conference. The total has gone under in six out of the last seven games played by the Warriors. The under is also 5-4 in Golden State’s nine home games this season. Head to head, the under is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Over
219 (-115)
Under
219 (-105)
Odds from BetOnline as of 12/09/19
These teams have combined to score an average of 219.1 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 226.33 points per game in their last three encounters. However, with the injuries to the Warriors, the team is fourth from the bottom in scoring and they have scored 105 or fewer points in their last seven games played. The Grizzlies have scored 104 or fewer points in three out of their last five games played and they are in the Bottom 10 in the league in scoring. I’ll take the under in this battle between depleted teams.
Prediction: Under 217