The Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Memphis Grizzlies to Chesapeake Energy Arena. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and can be seen on ESP and FxK.
The Thunder are expecting a better outcome after their 116-104 loss to the Kings on Monday. Serge Ibaka was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-78 win against the Trail Blazers on Monday. Zach Randolph claimed his ninth double-double of the season with 26 points and 18 rebounds.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Thunder had the upper hand in the most recent game, a blowout 125-88 win. Kevin Durant finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds.
The Thunder are a five-point favorite against Memphis and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 199 points. Despite being 24-11 Straight Up (SU), the Thunder have struggled to cover the spread in most of their matchups, only managing a record of 14-21 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 7-3 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (3-7). The Thunder are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .475 from the field. The rebounding edge goes to the Thunder in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 47.4 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Thunder, who rank second in the league in blocks per game with 6.8.
As for their opponent, the Grizzlies have 19-17 SU and 16-19-1 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Memphis is 11-10 SU and 10-11 ATS. The Grizzlies convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .795. Taking care of the basketball is something the Grizzlies do very well, averaging just 12.8 turnovers per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Oklahoma City beat Memphis, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Thunder lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC, O/U – Under
Notes
Oklahoma City is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Oklahoma City’s last 21 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games.
Oklahoma City is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games.
Oklahoma City is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Oklahoma City’s last 12 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games at home.
Oklahoma City is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 6 games when playing Memphis.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 108.5 points per game (ranked second), while the Memphis Grizzlies are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 98.6 (ranked sixth).
Memphis has allowed an average of 97.3 points per away game this season. Oklahoma City averages 107.8 points per home game, placing the team second in scoring.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Thunder are 15-2 on the season. When the Grizzlies score fewer than 100, they are a poor 7-16.
When Oklahoma City gives up 100 or more points in a game, the team is an even 9-9 this season. Memphis, on the other hand, has a stellar record (12-1) when it hits triple digits.
The Grizzlies have a defensive rating of 102.9 (ranked 16th). The Thunder rank second for their offensive rating of 109.8.
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 98.9 possessions and 1.098 points per possession in games this season. The Memphis Grizzlies average fewer possessions with 95.5, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.005.
Oklahoma City is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 52.0% (ranked third in the NBA). Memphis is a poor 5-10 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Oklahoma City makes an average of 21.7 assists per game (ranked 14th), while Memphis makes 21.0 assists per game (ranked 20th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 6.8 blocks per game for a rank of second. The Memphis Grizzlies rank lower (22nd), earning 4.2 blocks each game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the second-ranked team in offensive rebounds, while the Memphis Grizzlies are the 19th-ranked team in defensive rebounds.
Making 8.8 steals per game, Memphis is ranked sixth in the NBA. Oklahoma City has a solid 14-8 record when it allows at least 8 steals.
