Blake Daniels, November 4, 2022

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The injury-riddled Charlotte Hornets hit the road and travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Friday night at the FedExForum.

Charlotte has dropped three straight away from home and will be looking to end their slide. The Hornets are 3-5 SU on the season and are 2-3 SU in five road games played this season. They are coming off a 106-88 loss to the Bulls in Chicago in their last game. It was the lowest-scoring output for the Hornets this season. Charlotte has lost its last two road games by an average of 19 points per game.

Memphis will head home after going 2-2 on their recent road trip. The Grizzlies opened their road trip with a win in Sacramento. However, the team lost two in a row to the Utah Jazz before salvaging their trip with a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Memphis is 5-3 SU on the season and is the top team in the Southwest Division. The Grizzlies are just 3-3 SU in six road games played this season while they are unbeaten in two home games played so far.

Memphis has beaten Charlotte five times in their last six meetings, including a 125-118 road win in their last head-to-head meeting on February 12, 2022. The Hornets, however, won their last meeting in Memphis 118-108 but that was way back on November 10, 2021.

This will be the teams’ first head-to-head meeting this season.

Charlotte Hornets

Injuries are starting to take their toll on the young Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are coming off an 18-point loss to the Chicago Bulls who were playing on the second of a back-to-back schedule. The Bulls’ reserves outscored Charlotte’s bench 49-28 which was essentially the difference in the game. With too many key players out, Charlotte’s reserves have been forced to play in the starting lineup, thus depleting their bench output.

Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 24 points on 5 triples while Mason Plumlee had 11 points and 13 rebounds in a losing effort. Charlotte shot just 39% from the field and the Hornets scored a season-low 88 points, including only 36 in the final two quarters. Worse, the Charlotte defense allowed the Bulls to hit 45% of their three-pointers and there’s not much they can do right now without the likes of LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Cody Martin. Meanwhile, Gordon Hayward left their last game with shoulder soreness so he could be out too.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies bounced from back-to-back losses to the surprising Utah Jazz by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane who each missed one game against the Jazz, returned to action the last time out and took down the Blazers. Bane led Memphis with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists while Morant added 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Grizzlies shot 13-28 from deep in that game.

This year’s team has looked different from the past one. However, the Grizzlies’ 1-2 punch remains the same with Morant and Bane combining to average 55 points per game and taking 39 out of the team’s 92 shot attempts per contest. Last season, they were a more balanced team which enabled them to win games even with Morant sidelined with an injury. Not that we’re wishing ill will on Ja but this year’s team leans too much on him and Bane that if an opponent can control one or two of them, they are going to run into problems. Jaren Jackson is still out after undergoing surgery during the offseason but should be back in a month.

Hornets vs Grizzlies SU Prediction

The Hornets are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games played against the Grizzlies. Charlotte has won three out of their last five meetings in Memphis.

Charlotte Hornets SU trends:

• The Hornets are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games played.
• The Hornets are 2-3 SU in their 5 road games played this season.
• The Hornets are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games played against the Western Conference.
• The Hornets are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played against the Southwest Division.

Memphis Grizzlies SU trends:

• The Grizzlies are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played.
• The Grizzlies are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games played at home.
• The Grizzlies are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Grizzlies are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games as betting favorites.

With Morant and Bane missing one game each against the Jazz, the Grizzlies lost both games to the rebuilding but surprising Utah team. Other than those games, Memphis has looked sharp this season and Ja Morant is having an MVP-type year.

But with both back healthy in their last game, the Grizzlies returned to their winning ways. Bane is having the best season of his career while Morant is putting up 30+ points per game. When this duo is healthy and playing together, the Grizzlies are going to be tough to beat.

Meanwhile, the Hornets are just 17th in the NBA in scoring, 12 spots below Memphis. They have suffered with LaMelo and Rozier out with injuries and although Kelly Oubre Jr. has stepped up, the Hornets are just missing too many key players on offense right now for them to compete with the elite teams in the league.

Both teams are on opposite ends of the pole. The Grizzlies got their starting backcourt back the last time out. Meanwhile, the Hornets still don’t have their top two guards right now and will be at a big disadvantage on Monday. The Grizzlies like to beat their opponents by outsourcing them. Having their two best scorers in this game will help them pick up the victory.

I’m not trusting the Hornets until they get their key players back. The Grizzlies aren’t just the better team, they are also playing better right now. With Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, Memphis is in good hands.

Prediction: Memphis Grizzlies

Hornets vs Grizzlies ATS Prediction

The Hornets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Grizzlies. Charlotte is also 6-2 AT in their last 8 games played in Memphis.

Charlotte Hornets ATS trends:

• The Hornets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The Hornets are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 road games against a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The Hornets are 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 road games.
• The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS loss.
• The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Friday games.
• The Hornets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Hornets are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 road games versus a team with a winning home record.
• The Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 day’s rest.

Memphis Grizzlies ATS trends:

• The Grizzlies are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
• The Grizzlies are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 home games.
• The Grizzlies are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games versus a team with a winning % below .400.
• The Grizzlies are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games against a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Grizzlies are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 home games against a team with a losing road record.
• The Grizzlies are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Grizzlies are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Grizzlies are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
• The Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss.
• The Grizzlies are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Grizzlies are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up win.
• The Grizzlies are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.

The Hornets head to this game short-handed once again as LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Cody Martin are all on the sick bay. Memphis isn’t immune to injuries but with only Jaren Jackson Jr. their key player out for this game, the Grizzlies have the upper hand.

Ja Morant is putting up more than 30 points per game this season and has looked unstoppable. When he has an off night, his backcourt mate Desmond Bane steps up and is able to produce big numbers. For as long as both Morant and Bane show up on Monday, which is most likely, the Hornets are at a massive disadvantage. The line is hefty but you have to go with the Grizzlies as Charlotte has struggled on the court without their main players.

Prediction: Grizzlies -11.5

Hornets vs Grizzlies Over/Under Prediction

The total has gone over in 7 out of the last 10 games played between these two teams. The over is also 5-1 in their last six meetings played in Memphis.

Charlotte Hornets over/under trends:

• The under is 3-0-1 in the Hornets’ last 4 overall.
• The under is 3-0-1 in the Hornets’ last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the Hornets’ last 4 road games versus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The over is 5-0 in the Hornets’ last 5 road games versus a team with a winning home record.
• The over is 4-0 in the Hornets’ last 4 games against a team with a winning % above .600.
• The over is 7-2 in the Hornets’ last 9 road games.
• The under is 5-2 in the Hornets’ last 7 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The over is 17-8-1 in the Hornets’ last 26 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The over is 19-9 in the Hornets’ last 28 Friday games.

Memphis Grizzlies over/under trends:

• The over is 4-3-1 in the Grizzlies’ last 8 games played overall.
• The over is 4-0 in the Grizzlies’ last 4 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
• The over is 4-1 in the Grizzlies’ last 5 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 4-1 in the Grizzlies’ last 5 home games.
• The over is 7-2 in the Grizzlies’ last 9 versus. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• Under is 35-17 in Grizzlies’ last 52 home games against a team with a losing road record.

Before their 88-point performance against Chicago the last time out, Charlotte was the top-scoring team in the NBA and they were able to do that even without Ball and Rozier. However, it’s hard to expect the Hornets unit to match up with a Memphis team that has its 1-2 scoring punch in this game and coming off a combined 59-point effort the last time out.

Memphis is a Top 5 scoring team and their defense is porous at 26th in the league in points allowed. They are a team that relies on their scorers to outpoint the opposition rather than stop them from scoring.