The Memphis Grizzlies visit the AT&T Center to take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarlerfinals. The game starts at 9:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Apr. 19 and will air on TNT, FSW and FxS.
The Spurs had no trouble getting past the Grizzlies 106-74 on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard led all scorers on the team with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
The defense for San Antonio should have a clear edge in terms of effective field goal percentage. They rank first in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 47.6%), while the offense of Memphis is 29th with a mark of 47.7%. Moreover, the Grizzlies are among the NBA’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking fifth in offensive rebound percentage at 25.2%. But the Spurs rank third at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 79.1%.
The Spurs are attempting to build on their records of 68-15 Straight Up (SU) and 45-38 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. The Spurs have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 95.6 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 103.6 points per game. San Antonio has been steady from the free throw line, shooting an impressive .804. No team in the league has a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than San Antonio, which tops the league at 1.95. The San Antonio defense has been dominant, only giving up 92.7 points per game, which is the best in the league. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Spurs, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .436. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Spurs, who rank fifth in the league in blocks per game with 6.0. Memphis has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.2 fouls per game), so expect the Spurs to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Grizzlies have 42-41 SU and 40-40-3 ATS records. Memphis has a good SU record over the last 10 games (7-3), but have a 3-7 record ATS. The last 10 games have really brought the best of the Grizzlies on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 92.9 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 101.4.
San Antonio won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over the Grizzlies in their last 10 meetings. The Spurs also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
San Antonio puts up an average of 103.6 points per game (ranked 10th). Memphis ranks 11th in points allowed per game with 101.4.
On average, Memphis scores just 95.8 per away game, the worst in the league. On the other hand, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, allowing 90.8 points.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the San Antonio Spurs are a dazzling 57-6. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Memphis Grizzlies have a losing record of 10-29.
San Antonio is 11-9 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Grizzlies have a solid 32-12 record when they hit the century mark.
The Spurs have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (109.1). The Grizzlies are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 106.4 (ranked 15th).
The Memphis Grizzlies average 95.9 possessions per game and 1.030 points per possession. The San Antonio Spurs earn fewer possessions with 94.9, but they score more points with 1.091.
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with an EFF% of 52.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Memphis Grizzlies have a poor 11-26 record.
On average, the San Antonio Spurs attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the Memphis Grizzlies attempt 18.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, San Antonio has a losing record of 1-2, while Memphis is 3-2.
San Antonio ranks at the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.95 this season. Memphis ranks 14th with an A/TO of 1.62.
The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.5 per game. Ranked 14th, the San Antonio Spurs average 43.9 rebounds.
San Antonio ranks among the best in the league in defensive rebounds at fifth, while Memphis is a top-10 team in offensive rebounding (ranked eighth).
On average, the Grizzlies force a turnover rate of 16.1%, ranked first in the NBA. When the Spurs turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 13-5 record.
