Very important game in the chase for the NBA’s final Western Conference playoff spot on Monday evening from the bubble in Orlando as the Memphis Grizzlies face Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans with the Pels favored on the NBA odds.
How to Bet Grizzlies vs. Pelicans NBA Odds & TV Info
- When: Monday, 6:30 PM ET
- Where: ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex, Orlando
- TV: ESPN, NBA League Pass
- Stream: ESPN+, NBA.com, NBA TV app
- Radio:com
- Opening NBA Lines: Pelicans -4.5 (236)
Why Bet on Memphis?
The Grizzlies are 0-2 since the restart, losing 108-106 to the Spurs on Sunday. Likely NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant flirted with a triple-double on Sunday, scoring 25 points with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Morant leads all qualifying rookies with 17.7 points, 7.0 assists and 12 double-doubles. Only six other rookies in NBA history have averaged at least 17 points and seven assists per game: Oscar Robertson (1960-61), Magic Johnson (1979-80), Isiah Thomas (1981-82), Damon Stoudamire (1995-96), Allen Iverson (1996-97) and Trae Young (2018-19).
Grayson Allen stepped up with 15 points in 28 minutes off the bench Sunday. Allen also grabbed three rebounds with two assists and one steal, giving Memphis some much-needed stability with their second unit. Brandon Clarke (eight points, three boards) was the only other reserve to score. The Grizzlies are navigating the absence of Tyus Jones (knee) and Justise Winslow (hip), leaving them down a pair of capable ball-handlers.
The Grizzlies went 14-18 away from home before the hiatus but went 2-1 on a three-game road trip just before the hiatus, racking up consecutive 39-point road wins over the Atlanta Hawks (127-88 on March 2) and Brooklyn Nets (118-79 on March 4).
Memphis is 0-2 vs. New Orleans this season. They last played on Jan. 31 in the Big Easy and the Pelicans rolled 139-111. Memphis played its third game in four nights without leading scorer Jaren Jackson Jr., who served a league-issued one-game suspension. Top overall pick Zion Williamson scored 24 points to lead the Pels. Brandon Ingram added 20 points for New Orleans, which opened up the game with a 44-point third quarter. Jonas Valančiūnas led Memphis with 18 points and eight rebounds while Morant had 16 points.
The Pelicans shot 53.7 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from three-point range. The Grizzlies missed 25 of their 31 three-point attempts (.194).
Why Bet on New Orleans?
The Pels badly need this game in order to have a shot at a playoff berth as they are 0-2 since the restart. They were clobbered 126-103 by the Clippers on Saturday.
Zion Williamson finished Saturday’s loss with seven points, five rebounds and three turnovers in 14 minutes. The Pelicans stuck to their plan of using Williamson in “bursts,” allowing him to start each quarter and then keeping him on the bench once subbed out. The rookie forward played a little over five minutes in the first quarter, five in the second and four in the third. There were no fourth quarter minutes for Williamson, as the game had already gotten out of hand by that point.
Williamson will likely be on a minutes limit for Monday’s game against the Grizzles, Pelicans VP David Griffin said Saturday. Williamson, who missed 13 days of preparation as he had to leave the bubble for a family emergency, has played 15 and 14 minutes in New Orleans’ first two seeding games.
Brandon Ingram shot 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line in Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, scoring 14 points with two rebounds, two 3-pointers and four turnovers in 24 minutes. Due to the Pelicans being run out of the building, Ingram did not play at all during the fourth quarter. The Clippers finished with 25 three-point field goals on the night, setting a franchise record, as well as a Pelican opponent franchise record. Holding a 10-point lead (44-34) with 8:57 remaining in the second quarter, LA went on a 30-6 run to push their lead to 34 (74-40) with 3:03 remaining in the first half.
New Orleans is 14-0 against Memphis when they score 110 or more points. The Pelicans have won eight of their last 12 meetings with the Grizzlies. In two games against Memphis this season, Jrue Holiday has averaged a team-high 27.0 points while shooting .576 from the floor and .600 from deep, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. Ingram has averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 blocks.
Game Trends
- Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
- Grizzlies are 5-11 ATS in the last 16 meetings in New Orleans.
- Over is 19-9 in the last 28 meetings in New Orleans.
- Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Expert Prediction Pelicans 115, Grizzlies 113
