The Memphis Grizzlies (7-6) head to San Antonio to play the Spurs (9-3) in a game that will likely be low scoring. The game gets underway at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, Nov. 21 and will air on FxS, FSW and C+D.
The Spurs lost to the Pelicans 104-90 on Friday. LaMarcus Aldridge recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds, earning his sixth double-double of the year. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 96-84 win over the Rockets on Friday. They relied on Marc Gasol who recorded his first triple-double of the season. He took his game to the next level with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Gasol has been on fire over the last five games for the Grizzlies, averaging 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as the Spurs rank 26th in the league in possessions per game (96.8), while the Grizzlies are 27th (95.9).
The Spurs are a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 192 points. The Spurs are attempting to build on their records of 9-3 Straight Up (SU) and 7-5 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS versus the Western Conference. San Antonio has consistently been near the top of the league in terms of field goal percentage, currently ranking second in the league with a FG% of .473. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of San Antonio’s offense. They are third in the league in assists with an average of 26.0 per game. As for the San Antonio defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Spurs, who allow a league-low 92.3 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Spurs, who allow a field goal percentage of only .420. An area where the Spurs are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 6.8 blocks per game, third in the NBA.
Across the court, the Grizzlies head into the game with records of 6-7 ATS and 7-6 SU. In Western Conference games, Memphis has gone 5-5 SU and ATS. The Grizzlies are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with an NBA-best .827 free throw percentage. Don’t expect Memphis to give away the ball much on offense, where its 12.8 turnovers per game ranks fourth in the league.
The Spurs and the Grizzlies will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Spurs were winners, bringing their SU record to 8-2 over the Grizzlies in the last 10 games. The Spurs also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Under
Notes
San Antonio is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games at home.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
San Antonio is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing Memphis.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Antonio’s last 8 games when playing Memphis.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio’s last 6 games when playing at home against Memphis.
San Antonio is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Memphis.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games when playing on the road against San Antonio.
San Antonio’s offense and Memphis’ defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. San Antonio puts up 101.1 points per game (ranked 15th). Memphis gives up 100.8 points per game, which is also ranked 15th.
Memphis scores 95.0 points per away game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 86.0 per game.
Memphis is 3-2 when allowing under 100 points this season. The Spurs have a winning 4-2 record, when scoring fewer than 100 points.
When Memphis gives up 100 or more points in a game, the team is an even 4-4 this season. San Antonio, on the other hand, has a fantastic record (5-1) when it reaches the century mark.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 95.1. The Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 99.9 (ranked 22nd).
Ranked second in the NBA, San Antonio has an average field goal percentage of 47.3%. Memphis is 5-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the San Antonio Spurs make 26.0 assists per game and the Memphis Grizzlies make 21.2. San Antonio is ranked third, while Memphis is ranked 18th.
The San Antonio Spurs average 6.8 blocks per game for a rank of third. The Memphis Grizzlies rank lower (24th), earning 4.0 blocks each game.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Memphis Grizzlies rank 29th in defensive rebounding.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank fifth in steals, with an average of 9.2 per game. When the San Antonio Spurs allow at least 9 steals, they have a winning 2-1 record.
