NBA Playoff Betting – (5) Grizzlies at (4) Blazers (Game 4)

Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers (-2, 193 o/u)

Tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies (3-0, 1-0 away) go for the sweep – and some much needed time off – when they face the Portland Trail Blazers (0-3, 0-1 home) at the Moda Center (8:30 PM Eastern).

The Grizzlies have completely dominated the first three games in the series, winning the first two at home by an average of 14.5 points, taking Game 3 in Portland by six, and covering the spread in all three.

The health of starting point guard Mike Conley is the only thing that has Memphis concerned. Conley played (very well) through a foot injury in Games 1 and 2. He was doing the same in Game 3 but wound up on the business end of an accidental C.J. McCollum elbow that forced him to leave the game with multiple facial fractures.

“Proud of my guys for stepping up!” Conley wrote on Twitter after the game. “Huge win tonight. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I will be fine!”

Despite Conley’s assurances, he has been ruled out for tonight’s game, and his team realizes his absence will be significant.

“He does so much for us, with the ball, with the defense, setting us up. He shoulders a huge amount of responsibility for us,” Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. “So everybody else has to just pick it up, keep getting better, and be a little bit more focused in every single area. Every single possession is going to matter.”

Memphis’ backup point guard, Ben Udrih, is suffering from an ankle injury, but will start Game 4.

The Grizzlies will get no sympathy from the Blazers, though. Portland has played the last couple of months without their starting SG and defensive standout Wesley Matthews.

In the playoffs, the squad has looked like a shell of the team that went 51-31 during the regular season.

“It’s certainly disappointing to be 0-3 in the series,” coach Terry Stotts told the team’s official website. “Obviously our backs are against the wall and our focus is going to be on getting a win on Monday.”

In the trends, Memphis has covered the spread in nine of the last ten games against Portland, including all three in this series. But the injuries to Conley and Udrih will have the Grizzlies in tough on the road tonight. Look for Portland, which went 32-9 at home in the regular season, to get on the board with a win tonight. The Blazers minus the modest spread (-2) looks like the play.

(Photo credit: Sean Davis (flickr) “Mike Conley” [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode].)