The Memphis Grizzlies visit Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 23 and will air on SPSO and MSG.
The Knicks lost to the 76ers 97-81 on Friday. Alexey Shved finished with 25 points to lead the game. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-86 win over the Trail Blazers on Saturday. Mike Conley played well for Memphis, accumulating 21 points, nine assists, and two rebounds.
The inefficient Knicks offense (28th in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 97.8) will square off against the stingy Grizzlies defense (second in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.5). The Grizzlies figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Grizzlies won the first game 105-83. Conley was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Knicks are looking to improve on their records of 14-55 Straight Up (SU) and 27-40-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 6-22 SU and 11-16-1 ATS versus the Western Conference.
On the other side, Memphis has a SU record of 49-21 and an ATS record of 33-35-2. Memphis has a record of 18-8 SU and 12-12-2 ATS against the East. Memphis’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking second in the NBA with only 95.4 points allowed per game. Memphis may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Knicks averaging 21.9 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Following the Grizzlies’ latest win over New York, their SU record rises to 7-3 over the Knicks in the last 10 games. At 4-4-1, they are even bets ATS. Neither New York nor Memphis has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) over their most recent 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – MEM, ATS Winner – MEM
Notes
On average, Memphis scores 99.0 points per game (ranked 17th). New York ranks 22nd in points allowed per game with 101.2.
Memphis and New York are well matched, ranking 19th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Memphis puts up an average of 97.5 points on the road, while New York allows 99.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Memphis Grizzlies are a fantastic 36-9. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the New York Knicks have a subpar record of 6-49.
Memphis has a 13-12 record when allowing at least 100 points. New York has an 8-6 record when it hits triple digits.
The Knicks have a defensive rating of 107.2 (ranked 29th), while the Grizzlies rank 13th for their offensive rating of 103.3.
The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with a FG% of 45.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the New York Knicks have an underachieving 2-33 record.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank higher for their field goal percentage (eighth) than their effective field goal percentage (19th), while the New York Knicks rank the same for both metrics (27th).
New York makes an average of 21.3 assists per game (ranked 18th). Memphis ranks higher in assists with 21.8 (ranked 14th).
New York makes an average of 4.6 blocks per game (ranked 18th), while Memphis makes 4.3 blocks per game (ranked 24th).
New York is ranked 16th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Memphis ranks 15th in defensive rebounds.
The Memphis Grizzlies average 8.8 steals per game (ranked sixth). The New York Knicks have an underachieving 3-34 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
