Denver Nuggets (4-3) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (4-3)
November 3, 2021 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Memphis Grizzlies -1.5; Over/Under: -213.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies duke it out once again at the FedExForum on Wednesday night.
The Denver Nuggets have been in decent shape as they’ve won four of their first seven games, but they will be looking to bounce back here after falling short to the Grizzlies in a 106-97 road loss on Monday. Nikola Jokic led the team with 23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four blocks, Aaron Gordon added 15 points with 10 rebounds while Monte Morris chipped in with 11 points and six assists. As a team, the Nuggets shot 44 percent from the field and nine of 38 from the 3-point line as they hung in the contest in the first half before going ice-cold in the third quarter where they managed just 15 points to fall behind by as many as 14 points. Jokic just didn’t have enough support in this one as Will Barton scored just four points on one of eight shooting while Bones Hyland scored just eight points on three of 10 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies have also won four of their first seven games after beating the Nuggets at home on Monday. Ja Morant led the team with 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Tyus Jones drained five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane each scored 11 points. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 45 percent from the field and 13 of 34 from the 3-point line but this win was about their effort on defense as they couldn’t shake the Nuggets until the third quarter where they held them to just 15 points to take control of the game.
Looking at the betting trends, the Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a loss and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Grizzlies are 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games, 1-5 ATS in their last six games against a team with a winning record and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games overall.
Head to head, the under is 7-1 in the last eight meetings in Memphis, the Nuggets are 1-7 ATS in the last eight meetings in Memphis and the Nuggets are 1-4-1 ATS in the last six meetings overall.
The Nuggets have been able to keep their heads above water thanks largely to the play of Jokic who is carrying the team on a nightly basis, but we saw again that they aren’t much of a threat if the role players aren’t contributing. The Grizzlies go as Morant goes and he has been on fire this season, so they would’ve taken so much confidence from the win on Monday as they did it with their defense. The Nuggets are only 1-7 ATS in the last eight meetings in Memphis and I’m banking on that trend to continue as I like the Grizzlies in this spot.
