The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies will play on Thursday night in a Western Conference matchup. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Thunder-Grizzlies prediction and pick.
The Thunder and Grizzlies will battle on Thursday as Memphis searches for another win without star guard Ja Morant. Oklahoma City has lost seven straight games and nine of their last ten entering this one. The Grizzlies sit as the No. 5 seed in the West despite being just one game over .500 this season. The Thunder appear on the fast track back to the lottery as they are 6-15 so far this season. Memphis comes in as big favorites over the Thunder at home in this matchup.
Here are the Thunder-Grizzlies odds for this Thursday NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Thunder-Grizzlies odds
Oklahoma City Thunder +9.5 (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies -9.5 (-110)
Over 212.5 (-110)
Under 212.5 (-110)
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Why The Thunder Can Cover The Spread
The Thunder are 13-8 against the spread so far this season, so they have covered quite a bit despite their lack of wins. This may be another sneaky spot for a cover as the Grizzlies will be without Morant and potentially Kyle Anderson (questionable) as well. The Thunder are however on a back-to-back after losing at home to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Oklahoma City has been unbale to find wins of late but has still hung in some games. They played the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards close last week. Despite being on the road back-to-back, the Thunder are not the worst play with the points on Thursday night.
The Grizzlies allow 113.7 points per 100 possessions defensively, the worst number in the NBA. Oklahoma City may be able to score enough to keep up due to Memphis' poor defense. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points in the Thunder's loss to the Rockets on Wednesday, so maybe he can get loose again vs. Memphis in this one.
Why The Grizzlies Cover The Spread
Memphis should be able to take care of this on their home floor with the rest edge on Thursday. Despite not having Ja Morant, they are still big favorites over a Thunder team that dropped two straight games to the Rockets of late. The spread is large, so a cover may be a little sketchy. The Grizzlies give up a ton of points and laying nearly double digits is obviously not ideal to begin with. Still, the Thunder have been the second worst offense in the NBA this season scoring just 100 points per 100 possessions. If the Grizzlies cannot slow down the Thunder, then they truly cannot stop anyone.
Generating offense without Morant will be tough but Memphis has won their last two games in his absence. The Grizzlies will look for a third straight win in what is a very favorable matchup at home vs. a Thunder team that is playing its third game in four nights.
Final Thunder-Grizzlies Prediction & Pick
This is a tough one, but take the Thunder to cover vs. the Grizzlies in this one. Memphis scored just 98 points in their win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, so the well may be drying up offensively in the absence of Morant. The under is also an appealing play here, as the Grizzlies have been a bit better defensively since Morant went out. The Thunder have shown to be competitive even when their youth and inexperience costs them. Memphis probably wins the game, but Oklahoma City should be able to hang around.
Final Thunder-Grizzlies Prediction & Pick: Thunder +9.5 (-110), under 212.5 (-110)
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