The Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets hope to end their respective slides as they face each other on Friday 11/30/18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Memphis enters this game with a three game losing streak while Brooklyn hopes that a game in front of their home crowd will snap a five game losing streak.
After losing 60 games last season, the Memphis Grizzlies were off to a great start this season. The Grizzlies opened at 12-5 but since then, they’ve encountered their first struggles of the season. Memphis has since lost three games in a row, collapsing in the third quarter against the Clippers and Knicks while blowing a 17 point lead against the Raptors in their last game. Still, 12-8 is a good start after a turbulent 2017-18 season for Memphis.
Comebacking point guard Mike Conley leads the Grizzlies with 20.3 points per game while also pacing the team in assists at 6.6 dimes per contest. Marc Gasol is averaging 18.5 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game while rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. leads the team with 2.1 blocks per game while also scoring 12.7 points per outing.
The Grizzlies are the second lowest scoring team in the league at 103.6 points per game. They also rank 14th in the NBA in assists with 23.8 dimes per night. On defense, Memphis is the top defensive team in the league when it comes to scoring defense. The Grizzlies allow an NBA-low 102.0 points per game. However, Memphis ranks last in rebounding at 39.3 rebounds per game.
The Brooklyn Nets enter this game having lost four games in a row and being losers of their last five home games. The Nets are coming off back to back losses where they suffered fourth quarter collapses. Brooklyn was outscored by 18 points on Wednesday against the Jazz. That came three days after the Sixers outpointed them by 15 points in the final period in the game where Jimmy Butler hit a game winning three pointer.
Caris LaVert was Brooklyn’s unlikely leading scorer at 18.4 points per game before suffering that gruesome leg injury. Without him, D’Angelo Russell is the top scorer with his 17.6 points scoring average. D-Lo also leads the Nets with 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Meanwhile, Jarrett Allen is Brooklyn’s top rebounder at 8.5 rebounds per game while also contributing 12.5 points per game this season.
The Nets are 19th in the NBA in team scoring with their 109.3 points per game. Brooklyn ranks 21st in the assists department with 22.6 helpers per outing. On the defensive end, the Nets allow 110.0 points per game, good for 20th in the entire NBA. Brooklyn is also collaring 44.6 rebounds per game, making them the 17th best rebounding team in the league this season.
The Grizzlies and Nets have played a total of 43 regular season games against each other. The Nets own the smallest of margins, leading the series 22-21. Memphis has won five out of the last eight meetings but the Nets have taken the last three.
The Grizzlies are 5-3 SU in their last 8 games played and are 6-19 SU in their last 25 road games. The Nets are 1-5 SU in their last six games played and are 5-7 SU in 12 road games played so far this season. Head to head, Memphis is 5-2 SU in their last seven road games against Brooklyn.
Brooklyn was already struggling when it lost LaVert to injury. They were 3-3 to start the month of November with him playing but are now 2-6 in the month since he got hurt. As for Memphis, Marc Gasol is questionable for this contest after the Spaniard tweaked his ankle in their last game. He is considered a game time decision although he did practice with the team.
Even if Marc Gasol doesn’t play, the Grizzlies still have more offensive options than the Nets. Brooklyn is also just 17th in rebounds so Memphis won’t really be missing Gasol off the boards if he doesn’t play. But if he plays, this one should be an easy pick.
With most teams experiencing speed bumps early in the season, the Grizzlies are in the middle of their own. But against a Brooklyn team which has won just three out of 10 home games, Memphis has a lot of value in this game. We’re picking the Memphis Grizzlies to beat the Brooklyn Nets on 11/30/18.
Memphis is 12-8 ATS in 20 games played so far this season. The Grizzlies are an even 5-5 ATS in their 10 road games during this campaign. Brooklyn on the other hand is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played and are 3-7 ATS in 10 home games played this season. Head to head, the Grizzlies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games on the road against the Nets.
Memphis isn’t playing at their best right now but they certainly are playing better than Brooklyn. Head to head, the road team is 17-5 ATS in their last 22 meetings and the Grizzlies are 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings in Brooklyn. The Nets have also dropped 7 out of their 10 home games so far. You can make a case for the home team here but I think Conley makes the difference for Memphis. Prediction: Grizzlies -2
The under is 11-9 in the 20 games played by Memphis this season. The under is also 6-4 in their 10 road games played so far. The total has gone over in six out of the 10 home games played by the Nets. Head to head, the total has gone over in four out of the last five meetings between the Grizzlies and Nets. The total has also gone over in all of the last five games between these two teams in Brooklyn.
Right off the bat, the under would come to mind because the Grizzlies are the #1 defensive team in the league and are also the second lowest scoring team in the league. But remember that for the season, the under is only 11-9 in Memphis’ 20 games played so far and just 6-4 on their road games. It’s a play, yes but not a guarantee. With Brooklyn giving up over 117 points per game in their last five games played, I like the over in this matchup. The over is also 13-3 in their last 16 meetings in Brooklyn. Prediction: Over 210.5
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