Memphis Grizzlies (51-30) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-42)
April 9, 2023 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: Oklahoma City Thunder +2.5; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder collide at the Paycom Center on Sunday.
The Memphis Grizzlies have won 10 of their last 13 games overall and they will be eager to stay hot after blowing past the depleted Bucks in a 137-114 road win on Friday. Jaren Jackson Jr led the team with 36 points on 12 of 18 shooting, Luke Kennard added 19 points with five assists while Desmond Bane tallied 16 points with eight rebounds and six assists. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 57 percent from the field and a sizzling 20 of 42 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep the Bucks quiet early and trailed going into halftime, before they dominated the third quarter by 37-15 to put the game to bed early.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been in a rut as they’ve lost four of their last six games, but they will be feeling better after stopping a three-game skid with a 114-98 road win over the Jazz on Thursday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Josh Giddey added 17 points with eight rebounds and eight assists while Dario Saric chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. As a team, the Thunder shot just 40 percent from the field and 15 of 45 from the 3-point line but they dominated the offensive boards and held the Jazz to just five made 3-pointers to win this one comfortably.
Looking at the betting trends, the Grizzlies are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 road games, 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing record and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall. The Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last five games playing on zero days rest and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games overall.
Head to head, the Grizzlies are 5-11 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Oklahoma City and the Grizzlies are 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings overall.
The Grizzlies are keeping eyes on Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr, Ja Morant and Tyus Jones who are all doubtful, while the Thunder are resting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort and Jaylin Williams. Both teams will be without their best players so this comes down to whichever team has the better second and third string players. These games are always tricky to pick, so I’m simply leaning towards the Grizzlies as the Thunder are playing on zero days rest.
