NBA Picks: Indiana Pacers vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Indiana Pacers vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Saturday, 3/22/14, 8:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Memphis -2
Current Betting Line: Memphis -2
Opening Total: 180
Current Total: 180.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Memphis Grizzlies have played great basketball since the All-Star break

Indiana has won five of its last six games, including a 91-79 victory over the Chicago Bulls as 6.5-point home favorites Friday, while going UNDER the betting total for the fifth time in that span. The Pacers have all five probable starters averaging double figures, with forward Paul George leading the way at 22.1 points a contest, which is important to consider when making your NBA betting picks. He scored just 10 points on 3 of 13 shooting last time out, but did grab 12 rebounds and dish out 10 assists. Indiana is 7-5 SU and 2-10 ATS in March, with the UNDER going 8-4 in that situation.

The Pacers are 19-14 SU on the road this season, including a 7-7 mark versus Western Conference opponents. Indiana has won three consecutive games against Memphis—aiming for its second straight regular season series sweep. Defensively, the team paces the league in allowing just 35.4 points per game in the paint, which can’t be ignored when looking over the pro basketball odds page.

Memphis had its two-game winning streak snapped Friday, as it dropped a 91-86 decision to the Miami Heat as 4.5-point road underdogs, while going UNDER the betting total for a fifth consecutive affair. The Grizzlies are led by the play of power forward Zach Randolph, who paces the club in averaging 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. It’s important to point out that the franchise is 21-14 SU at home this season, including a 9-3 mark when taking on Eastern Conference foes. Memphis is 6-3 SUATS as home favorites of three or fewer points.

The Grizzlies are averaging 99.0 points on 48.6 percent shooting since the All-Star break, which has led to victories in 11 of 16 games over that span. Memphis does its best work on the offensive end in the final 12 minutes of a game—averaging 25.8 points over that period of time. Since the return of center Marc Gasol from injury, the squad has limited foes to just 90.8 points per game.