Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz
Time: 8 PM CT (NBA LP)
Spread: MEM -1
Total: 186
Betting odds c/o Pincle
The Memphis Grizzlies won its past two contests to move two games above .500 and into the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference.
Tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz is an important one as this season progresses, given that Utah is currently just 2.5 games back at the No. 8 spot in the West. NBA oddsmakers favor the Grizzlies by 1-point in the game which will air at 8 PM Central on NBA League Pass.
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The Jazz are 9-7 at home this season and the Grizzlies are 7-10 on the road, which is uncharacteristic for the team given that it typically is one of the NBA’s better road teams.
Memphis got past the Miami Heat in its past contest on Dec 29, by winning 99-90 in OT. Marc Gasol had one of his finer games of the season against Heat center Hassan Whiteside (who leads the NBA in shot blocking), as Gasol managed 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Grizzlies put four of five starters in double-figures and shot 43.7 percent from the field. Memphis did only commit eight turnovers in the game while assisting 25 of its 38 field goals. Memphis also held a plus-8 advantage on the boards.
Gasol leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game, but the Grizzlies have a very effective top-3 with Mike Conley and Zach Randolph both also posting PERs above 17. Memphis would like to get more from Jeff Green and Mario Chalmers though. Green is averaging just 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and the combo forward is capable of much more than that.
Chalmers meanwhile has served as an effective backup in the rotation to Mike Conley, but he is shooting just 42.5 percent from the field and 29 percent from three point range. Similarly, Green is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 26 percent from three.
The Grizzlies hit just 5.4 threes per game while shooting 31.5 percent as a team, so it should be in the market for a shooter if it pursues trades in the upcoming months. Without making some deals, this Grizzlies team simply does not have the court spacing and offensive talent to be a major threat come playoff time.
Zach Randolph has seen his minutes decrease in his twilight years here, but he is still averaging 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Z-Bo has seen his scoring average decrease the last three seasons, and this marks his first full season since his second year in the NBA that he has not played more than 30 minutes per night. Now at age 34 with 14 seasons under his belt, Randolph is likely transitioning to becoming a role player of sorts.
The Jazz lost Alec Burks for the season and have already been without Rudy Gobert for all but the first 14 games of the season. When it rains in Utah, it pours. Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors (questionable with back spasms) are both having superb seasons, but without its No. 3 scorer in Burks and its top defender in Gobert, the Jazz have been little more than mediocre.
Utah is 14-17 on the season and second place in the Northwest Division. The Jazz started the season without 2014 No. 5 overall pick Dante Exum who tore his ACL and is out for the year. In his stead, Trey Burke has played reasonably well but he is not much of a playmaker for a guy who has no choice but to play point guard.
Getting Gobert back would return this team to its elite defensive status, but the Jazz need more help than it can gain just this season and it seems inevitable that the team returns to the lottery, despite Jazz fans wishfully guessing that last season would be its last missing the playoffs for a long while.
It is a team with a strong defensive identity, but that identity revolves around Gobert being able to swallow up the paint and protect the rim. He is expected back within the next two weeks, and Utah can then begin to make its move to position for any potential playoff berth. Holding on to the No. 8 spot without Gobert is likely an attainable goal for the team.
