Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies
Friday, 11/23/12, 8:00 PM EST, TV: SPSO
Opening Point Spread: Memphis -5
Current Betting Line: Memphis -4.5
Opening Total: 201
Current Total: 199.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Los Angeles had its three-game win streak snapped a 113-97 setback to the Sacramento Kings as 5.5-point road favorites on Wednesday night, while going OVER the total for the third time in four contests. “It seemed like we were a little lethargic for whatever reason,” commented Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The Lakers have lost all three of their road games this year, with each game coming against a Western Conference opponent. Los Angeles is 3-5 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points over the last two-plus seasons, something to handicap when making your NBA picks against the spread on Friday.
The Lakers have gone 7-3 in their last 10 road games at the FedExForum, which includes a 116-111 overtime victory as 1.5-point road underdogs on March 13 of last season. Bryant has averaged 24.8 points in his career in this series, as he comes off a 38-point performance against the Kings.
Memphis is proving to be one of the better teams in the NBA, but will need to bounce back from a 97-92 loss to the Denver Nuggets as seven-point home favorites last time out, while going UNDER the total for a second consecutive contest. The Grizzlies also had their 15-game regular-season home win streak snapped in that affair. Small forward Rudy Gay is getting it done on the offensive end, averaging 20.0 points per game, as he ranks in the top 20 in the league in that category for the third time in four years. Memphis is 13-9 ATS at home as a favorite of 3.5 to 6 points since 2010, something to consider when looking over the pro basketball odds page.
The Grizzlies started the season 8-1 through nine games and held the NBA’s best record for the first time in franchise history. Memphis is in the midst of a season-long five-game home stand. Offensively, the team ranks eighth in the league in shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range, which is surprising after sitting in the bottom third in that category in the previous five seasons. The squad is 6-0 this season when hitting the century mark in scoring.
Sports bettors will likely back the Lakers due to their 6-1 ATS mark after a straight-up loss of more than 10 points, while the home team is 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in this series.
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