The Memphis Grizzlies visit the TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 9 and can be seen on ESP.
The Celtics were beaten by the Cavaliers 120-103 on Saturday. Isaiah Thomas was the team’s high scorer with 27 points. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-103 win over that same Cavaliers squad on Monday. Tony Allen led the team in scoring by posting 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the up-and-down Celtics (ranked third in the NBA in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Grizzlies (27th in possessions per game). Also, the offense of the Grizzlies seems ready to earn plenty of trips to the line. They rank fifth in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (31.1), while the Celtics are among the league’s most foul-happy teams (allowing a 28th-ranked mark of 31.9).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Grizzlies won the first game 101-98. Thomas was the top overall scorer in the game with 35 points.
The Celtics have gone 38-26 Straight Up (SU) and 34-28-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. The Celtics, sporting the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.81), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Boston’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Celtics allow a .328 opponent three-point field goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league. Something to watch out for is if Boston 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 18.6 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Grizzlies head into the game with records of 31-29-3 ATS and 38-25 SU. Memphis has records of 38-25 SU and 31-29-3 ATS against the East. Offensively, the Grizzlies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 99.2 points per game by averaging 111.2 during that stretch. The Grizzlies are getting to the foul line at a high rate. Their 1,267 free throws made ranks fourth in the NBA. The Grizzlies average 99.5 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 107.8 points per game during that span.
The Grizzlies’ win over Boston in their last clash moved their SU record in the last 10 against Boston to 7-3. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mem
Notes
“Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston’s last 12 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games “.
“Boston is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home”.
“Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games at home”.
“Boston is 8-14-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Memphis”.
“Boston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Memphis”.
“The total has gone OVER in 14 of Boston’s last 18 games when playing Memphis”.
“Boston is 2-15-1 ATS in its last 18 games when playing at home against Memphis”.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston’s last 10 games when playing at home against Memphis”.
Memphis ranks 23rd in points per game with 99.2, while Boston ranks 13th in points allowed with an average of 102.0 given up.
Memphis scores an average of 97.0 points per away game (ranked 27th), while Boston allows 100.3 points per home game (ranked 14th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Boston Celtics are a formidable 27-3. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Memphis Grizzlies have a subpar record of 10-19.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Celtics are just 11-23 this season. Memphis is a stellar 28-6 when it hits the century mark.
The Grizzlies have a defensive rating of 104.2 (ranked 16th). The Celtics rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.2.
On average, Boston has 101.8 possessions per game and scores 1.042 points on each possession. Memphis has both fewer possessions (95.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.039).
Memphis has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.4%. Boston is a losing 8-20 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Boston Celtics make 24.5 assists per game and the Memphis Grizzlies make 21.0. Boston is ranked fifth, while Memphis is ranked 21st.
The Boston Celtics average 4.3 blocks per game for a rank of 24th. The Memphis Grizzlies rank higher (21st), earning 4.4 blocks each contest.
The Boston Celtics are the fourth-ranked team in offensive rebounds, while the Memphis Grizzlies are the 21st-ranked team in defensive rebounds.
Making 9.5 steals per game, Boston is ranked second in the NBA. Memphis has a solid 10-6 record when it gives up at least 9 steals.
