The Memphis Grizzlies (31-22) visit Toronto to play the Raptors (35-17) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and can be seen on FxS and TSN.
The Raptors are expecting better results after their 117-112 loss to the Timberwolves in their last game. DeMar DeRozan was the team’s leading scorer with 35 points. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 109-90 win over the Nets in their last game. Mike Conley shot 7-for-13 and led in scoring with 20 points.
Conley has upped his play for the Grizzlies, averaging 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers over the past five games.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as the Raptors rank 28th in the league in possessions per game (95.3), while the Grizzlies are 27th (95.4).
The Raptors enter the game with records of 35-18 Straight Up (SU) and 28-24-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 35-18 SU and 28-24-1 ATS against the Western Conference. Toronto is excellent from the perimeter, shooting an impressive .368 from three-point range. Turning to the defensive side, the Toronto defense has been very good, only giving up 97.7 points per game.
Across the court, the Grizzlies have a record of 25-26-3 ATS and 32-22 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Memphis has gone 32-22 SU and 25-26-3 ATS. The Grizzlies have shown improvement on the offensive end over the most recent 10 game stretch. Over that span, Memphis is averaging 106.0 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 98.3. Memphis is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, converting .790 of their shots from the line. Taking care of the basketball is something the Grizzlies do very well, averaging just 12.5 turnovers per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the Raptors and the Grizzlies. Their previous game was a Grizzlies victory, moving their SU record against the Raptors to 6-4 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Raptors hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Toronto is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“Toronto is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games “.
“Toronto is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto’s last 9 games at home”.
“Toronto is 8-15-2 ATS in its last 25 games when playing Memphis”.
“Toronto is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Memphis”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing Memphis”.
“Toronto is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games when playing at home against Memphis”.
“Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Memphis”.
Toronto puts up an average of 101.9 points per game (ranked 15th), while Memphis gives up 99.2 points per game (ranked sixth).
Toronto ranks 13th in the league with 103.9 points per home game. Memphis allows just 97.5 points per away game (ranked fourth).
In its last game, Memphis won by a 19-point margin. Toronto is 6-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Memphis has a 2-7 record in blowouts.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a superb 22-7 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Toronto Raptors are 9-8 when they score less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Grizzlies are just 9-15 this season. Toronto is a solid 26-9 when registering triple digits.
The Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 102.9 (ranked 19th), while the Raptors rank ninth for their defensive rating of 101.9.
Toronto has an average field goal percentage of 44.7%. Memphis is 12-14 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Toronto Raptors rank lower for their field goal percentage (15th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (11th), but the Memphis Grizzlies have a better FG% ranking (19th) than their EFF% ranking (28th).
On average, the Memphis Grizzlies make 21.3 assists per game and the Toronto Raptors make 18.4. Memphis is ranked 20th, while Toronto is ranked 28th.
Toronto makes an average of 5.3 blocks per game (ranked 12th), while Memphis makes 4.4 blocks per game (ranked 22nd).
Toronto is ranked 20th in offensive rebounding. Memphis ranks 29th in defensive rebounds.
Making 8.3 steals per game, Toronto is ranked ninth in the NBA. Memphis has a winning 14-8 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
