New Orleans Pelicans vs Memphis Grizzlies 05/10/2021 NBA Odds, Preview, and Predictions

The New Orleans Pelicans travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Monday night at the FedExForum.

New Orleans lived to fight another day after they edged out the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. The Pelicans are still hoping to enter the playoffs via the backdoor. But with New Orleans still chasing 1.5 games from the Spurs, they need to win out their remaining games to keep their hopes alive. On the other hand, Memphis is just one-half game away from the 8th seed and looks to have booked their seat in the play-in tournament.

New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. The Pelicans are still one and a half-game behind the 10th seeded San Antonio Spurs with only four games to play. Getting to the play-in tournament is getting harder by the day but at least, they still have a reason to play for on Monday night.

Eric Bledsoe scored 24 points and issued 11 assists while Jaxson Hayes had 18 points and 6 blocks as the short-handed Pelicans beat the Hornets 112-110. James Johnson added 17 points while Willie Hernangomez pulled down 16 rebounds for New Orleans.

The Pelicans 8th in the league in scoring at 115.0 points per game this season. They are 3rd in rebounding at 47.3 boards grabbed per contest and 10th in passing at 26.1 assists per game. New Orleans is 24th in scoring defense at 115.1 points per game allowed this season.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies bounced back from a loss to the Detroit Pistons by defeating the Toronto Raptors 109-99 on Saturday night to move closer to clinching a spot in the play-in tournament. At 34-33, the Grizzlies are now two games up on the 10th seeded San Antonio Spurs and the safe spot.

Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 21 rebounds to lead Memphis. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 20 points in his first start of the season while Ja Morant added 12 points,7 rebounds, and six assists for the Grizzlies.

Memphis ranks 15th in the league in scoring at 113.2 points per game. They are 4th in rebounding at 46.5 boards grabbed per contest and are 7th in passing at 26.8 assists per game. The Grizzlies are 10th in scoring defense at 110.9 points per game conceded this season.

Who Wins?

New Orleans is 4-2 SU in their last six games played. The Pelicans are 4-2 SU in their last six games played at home, and 4-1 SU in their last five Monday games. Memphis is 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. The Grizzlies are just 14-18 SU in 32 home games played this season, 4-10 in their last 14 games against the Southwest Division, and 4-13 SU in their last 17 games played in May.

The Pelicans kept their small playoff hopes alive with a win over LaMelo and the Hornets on Sunday. But after a hard-earned win, they head to Memphis and play the next day against the Grizzlies. New Orleans will be without Zion, Josh Hart, Steven Adams, and possibly Brandon Ingram. Imagine what the absence of those four does to the Pelicans’ already paltry defense.

But the Grizzlies have their main weapons at their disposal. With Morant and Valanciunas, I think that the Grizzlies will have more than enough to win against the Pelicans’ defense. Give me Memphis to win at home.

Prediction: Memphis Grizzlies

Other Bets to Make

The Pelicans are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games played. New Orleans is 5-0 ATS in their last five games played on the road, 5-1 ATS in their last six games against the Western Conference, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a winning straight up record. Head to head, the Pelicans have covered in each of their last five games played against the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. Memphis is 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games played at home, 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games against the Western Conference, 21-7 ATS in their last 28 games when playing on one-day rest, and 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against an opponent with a losing road record.

The Pelicans are on the back end of a back to back schedule but they are a team that kept their playoff hopes alive the previous night. Without Zion Williamson, Josh Hart, and most probably Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans are at a big disadvantage here and that’s the reason for this double-digit spread.

 But Memphis has been inconsistent this season and they have not played well enough as of late, going 3-5 in their last eight games. Morant and Valanciunas should lead the Grizzlies to a win. However, the Pelicans won’t go down without a fight given what’s on the line for them. I expect a much closer game.

Prediction: Pelicans +10

The total has gone under in eight out of the last nine games played by the Pelicans. The under 4-0 in New Orleans’ last four Monday games, 6-2 in their last eight games when playing on zero days rest, and 4-2 in their last six games played on the road.

The total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the Grizzlies. The under is 27-13 in their last 40 Monday games, 34-14 in their last 48 home games, 18-7 in their last 25 games against an opponent with a losing road record, and 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a road winning percentage of below .400.

Head to head, the under is 5-3-2 in their last 10 meetings overall But the total has gone under in 14 out of their last 16 meetings in Memphis.

Memphis leads the league in steals and the Pelicans are among the worst in turning the ball over which should lead to plenty of quick points for the Grizzlies. These teams rank in the Top 11 in pace which means we should see a fast back and forth game will plenty of scoring opportunities.

Then both teams are also in the bottom half in scoring defense, with New Orleans ranking 24th. No Steven Adams and No Zion Williamson will give the Grizzlies an easier time scoring points. However, the absence of the Pelicans’ key players will limit New Orleans’ points production. The Pelicans have failed to score more than 109 points in four out of their last six games played.

Prediction: Under 223.5

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