The second-ranked offense of the Golden State Warriors (67-15) welcomes the top-ranked defense of the Memphis Grizzlies (55-27) in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, May 13 and will air on TNT.
The Warriors lost to the Grizzlies 99-89 on Saturday. Klay Thompson put together a strong game for the Warriors, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Zach Randolph shot 9-for-15 and led in scoring with 22 points.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength, as the high-powered offense of Golden State (second in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 108.6) takes on the top-notch defense of Memphis (second in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.6).
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Warriors look to build on their records of 67-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 42-10 SU and 32-20 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Warriors are a dangerous three-point shooting team with 10.8 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. The Warriors, sporting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.94), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. As for the Golden State defense, teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Warriors, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the league at .337. An area where the Warriors are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 6.0 blocks per game, second in the NBA. Something to watch out for is if Golden State can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.5 points off turnovers per game to lead the league.
On the other side, Memphis has a SU record of 55-27 and an ATS record of 40-40-2. Memphis has a record of 35-17 SU and 26-26 ATS against the West.
Memphis beat Golden State in their most recent meeting this season, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. The Grizzlies hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Golden State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10, while Memphis wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Golden State 20-4-1 SU in its last 25 games.
Golden State is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
Golden State is 21-1 SU in its last 22 games at home.
Golden State is 5-14-1 SU in its last 20 games, when playing Memphis.
Golden State is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Memphis.
Golden State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Memphis.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State’s last 6 games when playing at home against Memphis.
Both Memphis and Golden State rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Memphis scores 0.0 points per game, while Golden State allows 0.0.
Memphis and Golden State are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Memphis scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Golden State allows 0.0 points at home on average.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a superb 42-11 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Golden State Warriors are 8-6 when they score less than 100.
When the Memphis Grizzlies allow at least 100 points they are 13-16, while the Golden State Warriors are 59-9 when they reach the century mark.
The Warriors have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 98.6. The Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 13th).
Memphis has an average field goal percentage of 45.8%, eighth-ranked in the NBA. Golden State is a winning 14-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank higher for their field goal percentage (eighth) than their effective field goal percentage (20th), while the Golden State Warriors rank the same for both metrics (first).
Golden State ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94 (ranked second). Memphis is ranked 11th, with an A/TO of 1.67.
The Warriors rank sixth in rebounds per game with 44.7, while the Grizzlies rank 21st with 42.6 per game.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank 21st in offensive rebounding, while the Golden State Warriors rank fourth in defensive rebounding.
On average, the Grizzlies force a turnover rate of 15.3%, ranked sixth in the NBA. When the Warriors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 17-5 record.
