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The Memphis Grizzlies will take on the Sacramento Kings in a Western Conference showdown. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Grizzlies-Kings prediction and pick.
These teams are at very different points in their respective seasons. The Grizzlies have gone on a recent winning streak, putting together four consecutive victories to propel themselves into the fourth seed in the West. It's hard to see Memphis holding on to a seed that high, but it's certainly a good sign that its record has improved to one of the best in the conference. The Kings, on the other hand, haven't had any sort of similar success. Sacramento is 1-3 in their last four contests, a recent stretch that only added to its poor 12-17 record.
Here are the Grizzlies-Kings odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Grizzlies-Kings Odds
Memphis Grizzlies: -6.5 (-110)
Sacramento Kings: +6.5 (-110)
Over: 221 (-110)
Under: 221 (-110)
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Why The Grizzlies Could Cover The Spread
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Memphis has made its money on the offensive side of things this season. Head coach Taylor Jenkins' squad has been putting up points on just about everybody, with plenty of those points coming in transition. The Grizzlies average nearly 17 fast break points per game, the best number in the NBA. The Kings are one of the worst teams at defending opposing transition attacks, as they rank inside the bottom-10 in that category.
A recent wave of COVID cases has ravaged the NBA, and the Kings have been hit harder than nearly any other team. Star point guard De'Aaron Fox will miss this contest because of the health-and-safety protocols, along with starting power forward Marvin Bagley III. Center Richaun Holmes is dealing with an eye injury, which means the backups will have to handle a majority of the work on Friday.
Unfortunately, many of Sacramento's backups have also entered into the health-and-safety protocols. It's hard to see the Kings playing a good game here. They're just too short-handed.
Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread
The Grizzlies haven't been hit by COVID quite as hard as the Kings, but they'll still be missing some important pieces on Friday. Superstar guard Ja Morant will miss this game, joining center Brandon Clarke and wing Zaire Williams on the inactive list. Morant leads the team in points per game, assists per game and steals per game, so his importance cannot be understated. Clarke and Williams provide key bench minutes that will be missed.
The Kings have a chance to steal this one away from an opponent that isn't anywhere near full strength.
Home-court advantage should give the Kings a slight edge, too. The Grizzlies are better at home than they are on the road, while the opposite is true for Sacramento. Memphis is also 0-1 on the year against the spread when they enter a game as a road favorite. The Kings are nearly .500 as home underdogs against the spread, so this is about as even as this matchup could possibly get.
Final Grizzlies-Kings Prediction & Pick
This game should be a sloppy, slow version of the one these two teams would normally play at full capacity. There are too many important players who will miss this game, and that should be reflected in the score. The under is the best pick on the board.
Final Grizzlies-Kings pick: Under 221 (-110)
