NBA Odds: Trail Blazers (even)
The Memphis Grizzlies (39-14) travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers (36-18) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 22 and can be seen on SPSO and CSN-NW.
The Trail Blazers are expecting a better outcome after their 92-76 loss to the Jazz on Friday. Wesley Matthews had a good outing, recording 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists for Portland. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 105-89 loss against the Thunder on Wednesday. Memphis still lost despite the best efforts of Zach Randolph, who recorded his 31st double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Portland ranks second in the league, allowing just 99.3 points per 100 possessions, while Memphis is fourth (99.6).
The Grizzlies have emerged victorious in both games against the Trail Blazers this year, including a 102-98 win the last time these two teams met. In the loss, LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers with 32 points.
The odds for Portland and Memphis are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Trail Blazers come into this game 36-18 Straight Up (SU) and 27-26-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 18-12 SU and 15-14-1 ATS against the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Portland’s stingy defense. The Trail Blazers are the top team when it comes to defense, allowing a league-low 93.1 points per home game. The Trail Blazers prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking second in the league with 335 total three-pointers allowed (6.2 per game). Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Trail Blazers, who average an NBA-best 34.9 defensive rebounds per game.
As for their opponent, the Grizzlies have a record of 26-25-2 ATS and 39-14 SU. Against the Western Conference, Memphis is 23-9 SU and 16-16 ATS. The Grizzlies convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking fifth in the league at .778.
The Grizzlies’ win over Portland in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 8-2. Furthermore, the Grizzlies hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Memphis held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Portland never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
On average, Memphis scores 100.6 points per game (ranked 14th), while Portland gives up 97.2 points per game (ranked seventh).
Memphis averages 98.1 points per away game this season. However, Portland is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 93.1 points per game.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Grizzlies are 28-5 on the season. When the Trail Blazers score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 8-13.
Memphis is 11-9 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Trail Blazers have a dazzling 28-5 record when hitting triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 99.3, second-best in the NBA. The Grizzlies also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 104.6 (ranked 10th).
The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with a FG% of 46.0%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Portland Trail Blazers are 7-8.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank lower for their field goal percentage (21st) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (13th), but the Memphis Grizzlies have a better FG% ranking (seventh) than their EFF% ranking (17th).
On average, the Portland Trail Blazers make 22.1 assists per game and the Memphis Grizzlies make 22.0. Portland is ranked ninth, while Memphis is ranked 11th.
Portland makes an average of 5.0 blocks per game (ranked ninth), while Memphis makes 4.4 blocks per game (ranked 21st).
The Portland Trail Blazers rank 15th in offensive rebounding, while the Memphis Grizzlies rank 13th in defensive rebounding.
Memphis averages 8.4 steals per game (ranked seventh). Portland is 19-13 when allowing at least 8 steals.
