Grizzlies vs Trail Blazers Play-In Game Odds and Picks
- Portland Trail Blazers are six-point favorites over the Memphis Grizzlies for Saturday’s play-in game
- Red-hot Damian Lillard meets Ja Morant with a point to prove after the Grizz struggled in the seeding games
- The odds, betting discussion and a pick ahead of this historic game can be found below
A dramatic end to the NBA’s seeding games saw the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs sent home, leaving the Memphis Grizzlies as the nine seed to battle it out with the Portland Trail Blazers for the Western Conference’s final playoff berth.
Damian Lillard played the best three games to end a regular season ever. Ja Morant and the Grizz were helped out by the Milwaukee Bucks in their final game as Mike Budenholzer rested his starters and Giannis Antetokounmpo was suspended.
The Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers odds can be seen in the table below.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline Odds at FanDuel | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Grizzlies | -6 (-110) | +210 | O 232.5 (-110) |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +6 (-110) | -255 | U 232.5 (-110) |
Odds taken August 15.
Portland Heavy Favorites
The Blazers were seven-point favorites yesterday. While still heavily favored, that has drifted in to six. Fatigue is a cause for concern for Portland backers – the Blazers’ starters looked out on their feet in their clinching game. Lillard and CJ McCollum played 44 minutes apiece and veteran Carmelo Anthony was just shy of 37.
While there’s generally not much support for Memphis taking the eight seed, a case can be made for the Grizzlies putting up a fight. The Nets pushed Portland all the way to a game-deciding shot on Thursday (which Caris LeVert missed), and Portland’s defense has been poor. A good shooting night from the Grizz and this could be very competitive despite the contrasting records of these two teams in the bubble.
The love for the game never fades #STAYME7O #Peace pic.twitter.com/5NY6oAQNF4
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) August 13, 2020
The total might seem a tad high at 232.5, but a glance at Portland’s recent games makes it seem more reasonable. There was 260 in each of their last two, and over 232.5 would have hit in each of their last five seeding games.
Center Battle
Jusuf Nurkic has been great for the Blazers in the bubble. Back from a long-term leg injury, Nurkic has opened up their offense and given a non-Hassan Whiteside body to put at the five. In the win over Brooklyn, though, Nurkic was exhausted. He hasn’t played an intense period of basketball like this for a long, long time.
On Saturday he’ll match up against Jonas Valanciunas, fresh off his first triple-double. Valanciunas is one of the most experienced players on the Grizz and one of the few with playoff experience. How he gets on against Nurkic will have a major impact on Memphis’ chances.
Jonas Valanciunas has his first career triple-double in today's must win game.
26 PTS
19 REB
12 AST (career-high) pic.twitter.com/vDhNsqMSfY— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 13, 2020
Valanciunas has improved his range. He only shoots just over one three-pointer per game, but the Grizzlies could try to work more perimeter looks forcing the Blazers to either switch or drag Nurkic away from the hoop.
The Grizz need another productive game from their center. Making Nurkic work will aid Morant’s dribble penetration and it could take away an option on offense. Whiteside will come in and play some minutes, but he’s an inferior player to Nurkic and the drop off in passing ability is huge. More Whiteside minutes is a good thing for the Grizz.
Hit The Over
Memphis’ offensive difficulties in Orlando might make the ‘over’ seem a bit ambitious, but the Grizzlies will find it easier to score against Portland than they have against the majority of their opponents. Switching Nurkic onto guards is a brave strategy with Morant.
SHEESH! LOGO LILLARD!! pic.twitter.com/s58kAb4j9P
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) August 14, 2020
At the other end, the Blazers have been a supreme offensive force. Lillard is pulling up, quite literally, from the logo and hitting them. Even if the Grizz go all out to slow him down, Anthony, Gary Trent Jr. and McCollum are more than capable of hitting shots.
The game slowing down, playoff-style, is the biggest concern with betting the total here, but with Morant running the floor and Lillard playing like he is, over 232.5 is very much attainable.
Pick: Over 232.5 total points (-110)
Sam Cox is a freelance writer and sports junkie, who has spent the past several years immersed in the online gaming industry. He has worked with 888sport, Oddschecker, and Colossus Bets to name a few. Based in the UK, Sam also runs Franchise Sports with his brother.
