New Jersey Nets at Memphis Grizzlies
Tuesday, 12/21/10, 8:00 PM EDT, TV: YES
Opening Point Spread: Memphis -8
Current Betting Line: Memphis -6.5
Opening Total: 187.5
Current Total: 189
New Jersey captured two victories on its home court last week and now will look carry that momentum in playing five of the next six games on the road. The Nets tallied a 89-82 win over the Hawks on Sunday for their first matinee victory in four tries this season, led by point guard Devin Harris’ 22 points. “We made big shots, but more importantly, after our first quarter which was very poor defensively, we stepped it up for the rest of the game,” center Brook Lopez commented. The team is 2-12 on the road overall this season, including a 1-4 mark against Western Conference competition. New Jersey is 12-12 ATS as an underdog on the year and the NBA lines page currently shows them getting 7.5 points in this contest.
The Nets currently rank 29th in the league in scoring just 92.7 points per game and they don’t get much scoring in transition, tallying 10.6 fast break points a night, which is the third-lowest mark in the league. The defensive unit has been solid most of the year by giving up 97.5 points a contest, placing them 14th in the league in that category. Head coach Avery Johnson has been performing a juggling act of late with lineups due to injuries and has written out nine different starting units this season. “It’s pretty much just the way it is,” he stated. “We have three guys with the capability of starting, but that’s the situation at hand.”
Memphis suffered back-to-back losses on its Texas road trip through Houston and San Antonio, returning home to face a much easier opponent at the FedExForum. The Grizzlies nearly pulled off a victory in a 112-106 overtime loss at San Antonio on Saturday, playing the contest without leading scorer Rudy Gay, who was serving a one-game suspension. “We should’ve won the game as we played so well,” said guard O.J. Mayo. “Now it was all for no reason.” The squad has recorded an 8-5 home record that includes a 3-2 mark against the Eastern Conference. Memphis is 44-47 ATS at home over the past three seasons and 27-33 ATS as a favorite over that span.
The Grizzlies are 13-15 all-time against the Nets and 8-6 when hosting in the series. Memphis earned a series sweep in 2009-10 with a 104-94 victory in New Jersey on February 21 followed by a 107-101 home win on March 8. Gay will be welcomed back with open arms tonight due to averaging 25.0 points on 51.3 percent shooting to help secure the sweep last year. The squad has won six of its last seven games at home dating back to its buzzer-beating victory on November 20 over the Miami Heat.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Nets are 13-6 ATS versus a team with a winning home record, while the Grizzlies are 7-1 ATS overall.
The NBA handicappers at Maddux Sports are enjoying an incredible season and ready for you to join them tonight!
