The Memphis Grizzlies have officially shut down Marc Gasol for the rest of the season, but their news isn't all bad.
They've got seven straight games coming up in which they'll be favored, including Friday night's road clash against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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SCHEDULING
These two teams are going to get to know all about each other this week. The clubs will face off on Wednesday night before coming back to Tinseltown for this clash on Friday. Live bettors will end up being at a little bit of a disadvantage in this game knowing that everyone will have seen a full 48 minutes between these two teams first, but it'll also be easier to see the adjustments the coaches have made and which staff has done a better job of readying its team for this second duel.
Do keep in the back of your mind that the Lakers are off for the rest of the month after this one. That means there's no reason to hold back a guy like Kobe Bryant, knowing that he'll have three straight days off after this one.
Memphis meanwhile, is just starting a West Coast swing and has to go to Phoenix on Saturday.
It'll be tempting to try to yank the key players as early as possible, especially knowing that this team isn't deep as it is and will likely be without Tony Allen thanks to a knee injury this entire trip.
KEY MATCHUP
Picking up Lance Stephenson at the trade deadline was a great move for the Grizzlies as we see it. They know they're going to have to embrace their defensive ways, because their offense isn't outscoring teams under most circumstances.
Memphis has a massive hole to fill at the shooting guard spot, as P.J. Hairston just doesn't cut it alongside Mike Conley. Vince Carter can only play so many minutes, and though Mario Chalmers has had some good games of late, he isn't the answer either. Stephenson might end up playing a big role in this game, and live bettors will want to see how he plays against Kobe before placing bets.
Sure, Bryant has found the Fountain of Youth of late, averaging 23.4 points per game in his last nine, but this is a really tough matchup against these pain Memphis defenders.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
Both of these NBA teams have been shoddy when it comes to winning games on one day of rest. The Grizzlies are just 13-19-1 ATS, while the Lakers are 15-21 ATS. Live bettors should note that LA is just 8-41 SU when playing on fewer than two days of rest.
If the Lake Show does get up in this game early, live bettors should see the opportunity to pounce on Memphis on the moneyline even though it's only 12-14 SU and 12-13-1 ATS on the road.
The Lakers are quietly 7-1 ATS in their last eight games even though they haven't won a game SU since February 4. Gone is that LA team which was getting blown out by double digits every single night. There are going to be stretches in this game when the Grizz look like they're going to win by 30, but that might be the right time to back the Lakers, especially knowing that Memphis has only exceeded 103 points in regulation four times since the turn of the New Year.
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