Grizzlies vs Magic Odds & Picks (Jan. 5)

• The Memphis Grizzlies are 6.5-point favorites for their matchup with the Orlando Magic on January 5th
• Memphis beat the Magic in blowout fashion in both meetings last season
• Read below for our Grizzlies vs Magic picks and the latest odds

The Memphis Grizzlies (24-13, 9-10 away) are on the road against the Orlando Magic (14-24, 10-11 home) on Thursday night. This is the first meeting between these two teams in 2022-23, after the Grizzlies ran out 135-115 and 124-96 victors in the two matchups in 2021-22. This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Grizz after facing the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Orlando is also playing two games in two nights after taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Jalen Suggs sat out the game against Oklahoma City and might not be available here. Moritz Wagner is suspended, and Bol Bol is questionable due to health and safety protocols.

Brandon Clarke didn’t feature in Wednesday’s NBA starting lineup for the Grizz. Memphis might embark on some load management here.

Grizzlies vs Magic Odds

Odds as of January 5. Claim the best ESPN Bet promo code to bet on the Grizzlies vs Magic game.

Memphis is unsurprisingly priced as a heavy favorite for this game with a 6.5-point spread in their favor. Thursday’s NBA odds price the Orlando Magic as heavy outsiders on the moneyline at +205.

Both teams have thrived with minimal rest this season, perhaps due to their young rosters. The Grizz are 3-1 against the spread without any rest, and Orlando has covered in four of six games with no days off.

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Road Troubles For Memphis

The Grizzlies are below .500 on the road this season, despite challenging for top spot in the Western Conference. For the season, however, they have covered the spread more often than not when favored, as they are here.

Ja dropped 32 PTS and 8 AST in the @memgrizz home win 💪 pic.twitter.com/bxxyRoRYri

— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2023

Since Jaren Jackson Jr’s return to action, Memphis has soared defensively, and owns the best defensive rating in the Association at the time of writing. Of late, they have been the best defensive team in the league by a considerable margin. No team allows a lower percentage on shots at the rim, and Memphis’ size should help them to slow down Paolo Banchero. The former first overall pick will get a decent number of free throw attempts, however, against a foul-heavy Grizz defense.

There is a degree of uncertainty over which Grizzlies will play in this game, but it has proven repeatedly that Memphis has the depth to compensate for missing rotation players.

Magic Much More Formidable At Home

Orlando is an ugly 4-13 on the road, and has already had some significant scalps at Amway Center. There have been some bad losses too, of course, but there is upside in this team to compete even with teams supposedly superior to them. It’s not so long ago they went on a six-game winning streak, and they have seen off Western Conference opposition already in the Mavericks, Suns and Warriors.

NBA says Kings forward Keegan Murray and Magic forward Paolo Banchero have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in December. pic.twitter.com/ezqVuPGvid

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) January 3, 2023

The feasibility of Orlando keeping this close depends a lot on which players can take the hardwood. Franz Wagner, for instance, has appeared on the injury report of late, and the Magic are 7.3 points per 100 possessions better with Wagner on the floor. At full strength, Orlando can certainly put up a decent game against this Memphis team.

Not many teams shoot fewer threes than the Magic, which is problematic here. Memphis has done a good job at protecting the paint, and one of their weaknesses is allowing a lot of outside shots (primarily above-the-break). Does Orlando have the shooting to make them pay?

Grizzlies vs Magic Prediction

Memphis has excelled at winning the games its meant to win. There have been some poor losses on the road, but their record since losing four out of five in mid November is spectacular. This matchup is one they look well set up to dominate with the size and length to control the paint and boards.

Betting on the second night of back-to-backs is always challenging, but load management is less of a concern with younger rosters like these two. If the Grizzlies are close to full strength, they should have too much for the Magic, who suffered a string of heavy losses at the end of 2022.

Pick: Grizzlies -6.5 (-109)