The Cleveland Cavaliers (46-26) travel to Memphis (50-21) to take on the Grizzlies in a matchup that pits the second-ranked offense against the second-ranked defense. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 25 and will air on FSN-OH and SPSO.
The Grizzlies easily got past the Knicks 103-82 on Monday. Zach Randolph was the game’s high scorer with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-90 win over the Bucks on Sunday. LeBron James played well, posting 28 points and 10 rebounds to claim his 19th double-double of the season.
It will be a battle of strength versus strength, as the high-powered offense of the Cavaliers (second in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 108.6) takes the court against the top-notch defense of the Grizzlies (second in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.4).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cavaliers won the first game 105-91. James played a big role with 25 points and 11 assists.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Grizzlies enter the game with records of 50-21 Straight Up (SU) and 34-35-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 19-8 SU and 13-12-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
On the other side, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 37-35 ATS and 46-26 SU. Cleveland has a record of 17-12 SU and 16-13 ATS against the West. The Cavaliers are an excellent long-range shooting team with 708 three-point shots made (9.8 per game) that ranks third in the NBA.
Cleveland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Grizzlies still lead the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over the last 10 matchups. The Cavaliers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. Cleveland had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10. Memphis has had the edge in all categories once.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
Cleveland scores 103.5 points per game (ranked sixth), but Memphis typically gives up only 95.2 points per game (ranked second).
Cleveland averages a solid 103.4 points per away game this season. However, Memphis is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 93.5 points per game.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Grizzlies are 37-9 on the season. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 9-21.
Memphis is 13-12 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Cavaliers have a stellar 37-5 record when they hit the century mark.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 103.5 (ranked 20th). The Grizzlies rank 13th for their offensive rating of 103.4.
Memphis averages 95.8 possessions per game, scoring 1.034 points on each possession. While Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game with 95.3, the team scores more points per possession with 1.086.
Cleveland is the fourth-ranked team in the NBA in average effective field goal percentage at 51.9%. Memphis is 12-10 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers make 21.9 assists per game and the Memphis Grizzlies make 21.8. Cleveland is ranked 11th, while Memphis is ranked 14th.
The Memphis Grizzlies average 4.3 blocks per game for a rank of 24th. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower (26th), earning 4.1 blocks each game.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 22nd in defensive rebounding.
The Memphis Grizzlies earn an average of 8.7 steals per game and are ranked seventh. The Cleveland Cavaliers have an 18-20 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
