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Sunday night will feature a great Western Conference matchup! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Grizzlies-Lakers prediction and pick.
The Memphis Grizzlies are coming off a huge win over the Los Angeles Clippers last time out. They are now 27-14 which remains good for fourth in the West. They won without Ja Morant and they will likely be without Morant again on Sunday. For the Los Angeles Lakers, they are finally starting to get things going. They should seriously consider keeping LeBron James at center for as long as Anthony Davis is out. LA beat the Hawks last time out and are 21-19 on the season. The Lakers are currently 6th in the West but will really need to win games to move up the tough West standings.
Here are the Grizzlies-Lakers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Grizzlies-Lakers Odds
Memphis Grizzlies: +3.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers: -3.5 (-110)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
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Why The Grizzlies Should Cover The Spread
The Grizzlies would have a lot higher of a chance to cover this spread if Morant was playing. He's currently day-to-day with an injury, but there's a chance he comes back and plays Sunday night. They rested him against the Clippers on Saturday, so maybe that was a sign he plays against the Lakers instead. That is still up in the air. Outside of Morant, the Grizzlies are seeing production from Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. Those two were a big reason why they beat the Clippers without their star. The Grizzlies are going to have a tough task. James has been playing extremely well lately and the Lakers are benefiting from it. They will need to defend as well as they can because it could be a long night if they don’t.
Memphis is 20-9 against the West and that is a huge sign. These two teams play for the fourth time this season already, and the Grizzlies won after a 41-piece from Morant. The Grizzlies are 8-2 in their last 10 games and will need to continue to see their role players step up if they want to cover this spread.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread
With James on the court, they should be able to cover any spread. That hasn't been the case this season, however. LA is just 16-23 against the spread. Whereas Memphis is 25-15 against the spread. That obviously doesn't always tell the whole story and it can flip in a heartbeat. But for now, avoiding betting on the Lakers' spread isn't a bad idea. It's always a tough decision either way. Memphis is on an eight-game winning streak and is playing very well right now. The Lakers have a tough task even if Morant doesn't play. The Grizzles contain a good amount of depth that can compete against any team, and they have proven it.
Los Angeles needs to defend and that is the bottom line. They are allowing 115 points per game in their last 10 which is too high for the Lakers. The good news is that James is shooting over 55% over his last 10 games, so the offense will be consistent. For them to cover this spread, they need to focus on defense because their offense will be fine late in the game if Morant isn ‘t playing for Memphis. If Morant does suit up, then that will make this an even tougher game defensively for LA.
Final Grizzlies-Lakers Prediction & Pick
I'm making this decision with the fact that it seems like Morant might miss his second-straight game. Take the Lakers spread here as they should be able to win this game at home regardless of the Morant availability.
Final Grizzlies-Lakers Prediction & Pick: Lakers -3.5 (-110)
