The Memphis Grizzlies take on the Portland Trail Blazers. Check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Grizzlies-Trail Blazers prediction and pick.
The Portland Trail Blazers join the Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs as one of the most surprising teams in the Western Conference in the first two weeks of the season. The West has been upside-down in this early portion of the season. The Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets — all viewed as legitimate West contenders this season — have gotten off to very sluggish starts, to varying degrees. The Blazers, Jazz and Spurs have risen in the standings, creating a fascinating plot point and giving this season a fresh twist. It will be worth monitoring how the Blazers fare in the next several weeks leading up to Christmas. If they are still in a top-three position by the end of 2022, we will all begin to ask ourselves if we significantly underrated this team and missed something we should have seen in this roster and how it was put together. The early weeks of an NBA season involve the natural, organic process in which new assemblages of players are learning how to play together. A good example of how this process takes time can be found in Minnesota, where the Timberwolves are still young and have a lot of learning to do before they settle into a groove with a roster which has high-end talent and a high ceiling. The Blazers have managed to come together more quickly than most. It will be interesting to see if — when better teams find more cohesion on their rosters — Portland will be able to maintain the continuity it has already established.
The NBA schedule has a very specific component which can be seen throughout the league: Lots of teams are playing two-game road trips or homestands against the same opponent in an attempt to cut down on plane flights and subject players to less travel over the course of a season. The Memphis Grizzlies just played a two-game road set in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz, and they went 0-2. Their defense wasn't able to get the job done in the first loss on Saturday. On Monday, their offense was not up to the job. The Grizzlies scored just 13 points in the second quarter of Monday night's game in Utah. The Jazz got on top of them and never allowed a big counter-run to allow Memphis back into the contest. As the Grizzlies continue their Western road swing, they need to learn from their miserable three days in Salt Lake City and find answers at both ends of the floor.
Here are the Grizzlies-Trail Blazers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Grizzlies-Trail Blazers Odds
Memphis Grizzlies: -4.5 (-114)
Portland Trail Blazers: +4.5 (-106)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
Why The Grizzlies Could Cover The Spread
The Grizzlies are too good and too talented to keep losing games to teams they frankly should beat. After getting swept by the Jazz in Salt Lake City, the Grizzlies — whose travel schedule has not been overhwelming (no back-to-backs, spending three straight days in Salt Lake City without plane flights) — should be physically fresh and ready to make adjustments against a Portland team which is bound to come back to earth.
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Portland is working well as a team, and it has Damian Lillard to knit things together and score big baskets in big moments. Meanwhile, Memphis looks disorganized at both ends of the floor. The Grizzlies aren't getting enough from their role players to help Ja Morant, and it might take more time for this still-youthful roster to come together in the early weeks of the season.
Final Grizzlies-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick
The Grizzlies have lost consecutive games, which means that if they lose here, they will drop three in a row. That doesn't seem likely, and the Grizzlies objectively have better talent than the Trail Blazers. They should be able to get a road win and steer their season in the right direction.
Final Grizzlies-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick: Grizzlies -4.5
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