The Memphis Grizzlies stays home to play the surging Orlando Magic team, in what seems like a clash of two currents. The annual postseason team might have best days behind, and the Magic hope that the best is ahead, but they’ll need to take it away from the veterans.
Magic at Grizzlies
Spread: Memphis -5 (-105) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 206 points (-110)
The Magic continue to impress, win in Louisiana
To be successful in the NBA, a franchise needs good players and also players who believe that are good. The Magic have had a solid roster last few seasons, but couldn’t shed the losing mentality until this season. This is something Vogel has been trying to instill in his players for over a year, and he’s getting the results now. The Magic are 5-2 to open up the season, with quality wins over the Cavaliers and the Spurs. They’ve played consistent basketball, with high efficiency that has come from a high teamwork and unselfish play from all of their players.
On Monday, they went to New Orleans and took the game away from the Pelicans, defeating Davis and Cousins with a 115-99 final score. It was their fourth win in the last five games, and most of the time they weren’t in any kind of danger of losing any of them. Once again, the Magic have done it with the smooth offense. In seven games this season, against a jumble of playing styles, the Magic remained extremely consistent scoring the ball. The lower points they’ve scored was 113, and the highest 125. They’ve also scored at least 40 field goals in each game. Against the Pelicans, Orlando shot 50.6 percent from the field and 47 percent from the three-point range. They led most of the game, slipping the lead just by the end of the first half when New Orleans unsustainably hot shooting troubled their steady defense. Five Magic players scored between 17 and 20 points. It’s another testament to their unselfishness, and it’s not the first time we see balanced scoring from them. Aside Fournier, Vucevic and Gordon, two reserve players also had a good night. Simmons continued his strong campaign with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Speights hit 6 threes as a stretch big. The defense had been hurting them before, but have improved slightly this year. They held the Pelicans danger duo to a single, conserving Cousins to a relatively low impact.
The Magic have been doing it without the services of last season’s starting point guard Elfrid Payton. He never played up to his potential but was the best option they had. Now that Augustin has run the offense to a delight, it’ll be interesting to see what will happen to Payton once he recovers. He’s progressing, but is not yet ready, making him very doubtful for the game in Memphis. The Magic return home to play on Friday and Sunday, and those are more realistic dates for his return.
Place: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 1st, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: Fox Sports Tennessee, FS Florida
The Grizzlies suffer first home loss
The Grizzlies stars were playing poorly, but they were in front. It seemed like another ugly win, just the way they like it over in Memphis, before the Hornets rallied in the fourth to hand them the first home loss of the season, 99-104.
Good thing is, the coaching staff won’t have to overanalyze reasons they lost. The shot simply wouldn’t fall for them, and especially during the pivotal fourth quarter when the Grizzlies connected on just 6-of-27 field goal attempts. Most of the shots were of a good variety, not forced or anything. They just wouldn’t drop. Nights like these happen all the time. Missing shots, like scoring, is infectious. The virus spread from the head down. Mike Conley was 4-of-18 from the field, and he missed all of his 7 three-point tries. Marc Gasol was only marginally better with 4-of-15 shooting, and he missed his only free throw attempt. Tyreke Evans was the high point man for the Grizzlies, with 19 points, but he needed 17 shots to get there. As a team, Memphis shot 34 percent for the night and were 8-of-35 from the three-point territory. They only committed 7 turnovers (4 of them by Brooks), and played solid enough defense to win on most days, but not on Monday.
The Grizzlies continue to play without JaMychal Green, who is reportedly going to miss another few weeks with his ankle injury. Wednesday’s game vs. the Magic will be already the sixth game they play at home, but the schedule will soon even out, as a 5-game road trip follows.
Orlando Magic at Memphis Grizzlies Game Trends & Prediction
The Orlando Magic have covered in New Orleans, making their ATS record positive once again, 4-3 overall. They are also 2-2 when away from home. They are also 4-3 against the over/under lines, alternating the outcomes in the last six games. The scheme follows opponents’ scoring, as the Magic either allow rivals to score in the 90s or in 120s.
The Memphis Grizzlies are also 4-3 against the spread, with the difference of not covering in three of the last four games. The better the opposition was, the easier the Grizz covered. Game against the Hornets was the first time the total points went over the projected line and also the most points they gave up all season.
Admi-Rank: The Magic continue to ascend in the rankings – they’ve already gained 7 points compared to the pre-season estimation. They now look as a legitimate playoff contender and might even improve this look further. The Grizzlies have been at a much higher level and have managed to sustain it with strong plays and the last slip up is just a small bump.
Memphis players should find their shot quickly, as they won’t be able to sustain Magic offensive pressure without countering them on the other side of the court. They need to be efficient. Of course, the Magic can’t keep shooting the ball like this, and they’ll quickly find out why the Rockets and the Warriors got frustrated with the Grizzlies defense. It doesn’t take away from their strong start, on the contrary. These games are perfect for further improving the sharpness of the game and winning mentality.
The books have tentatively opened the market with Grizzlies a 5-point jolly, and I suspect that they are being cautious due to Gasol’s lingering ankle problems. The Spaniard is tough as nails, and I doubt he misses the game. The total points line is 206, and there’s nothing here for us. The Magic may have been scoring at will lately, but it’s a different ball game in FedEx Forum. I’m going with the home team. Orlando is being faded with these lines, so I have to go where the value is. If you are feeling more comfortable taking the home side once Gasol is confirmed to play, feel free to wait for the game day, but you might want to take this risk and pick up a better price early.
My Pick: Memphis -5 (-105)
Total: (no wager on the total points)
