Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, 4/2/12, 8:00 PM EST, TV: FSOK
Opening Point Spread: Oklahoma City -8
Current Betting Line: Oklahoma City -8
Opening Total: 198
Current Total: 196.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Memphis closes out a three-game road trip and will look to snap a four-game losing streak to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. The Grizzlies are coming off a 99-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks as 2.5-point road underdogs on Saturday night. “That was a great team win and we needed it after a disappointing loss last night,” commented Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. The team is 11-15 on the road this year, including a woeful 6-13 mark versus Western Conference opponents. Memphis is 10-10 ATS as an underdog and the “under” is 14-6 in that situation.
The Grizzlies are in the midst of playing seven games during a nine-day stretch, as they finished March with an 8-7 record. Memphis’ current 28-22 record is nearly identical to the pace from last season, when the franchise finished 46-36 in the regular season before making a playoff run. Tonight’s game starts a back-to-back situation for the squad, as it has posted a 7-6 record on the front end and 10-3 on the back end. Power forward Zach Randolph is the player to watch in this contest, averaging 25.3 points over his last four regular-season games in this series.
Oklahoma City is likely playing the best basketball of any NBA team, coming off a dominating 92-78 win over the Chicago Bulls as six-point home favorites on Sunday. The Thunder have won their last six games in a row, while posting a 5-1 ATS mark over that span. “We just picked up the intensity,” commented Thunder star Kevin Durant about the team’s recent run. The team has a great chance of extending the streak due to winning all three meetings with Memphis this year, but those victories have come by an average of just five points. Oklahoma City is 8-8 ATS when playing on back-to-back days with the “over” being 9-7 in that situation.
The Thunder may get caught looking ahead to a marquee matchup against the Miami Heat on the road in South Beach on Wednesday night. Oklahoma City is still a formidable 23-4 when playing inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, including a 16-3 mark when hosting Western Conference opponents.
Bettors will likely back the Grizzlies due to their 62-47 ATS mark as an underdog, while the Thunder are 6-11 ATS versus Southwest division opponents.
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