The Grizzlies are stoked they won’t have to deal with the Thunder again this regular season after Wednesday’s matchup. Memphis concludes a three-game road trip, its longest of the month, and is just 1-5 ATS in its last six away games. OKC throttled Memphis 125-88 when the teams last met and they have played above the total in each of the two previous meetings.
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LOOK AHEAD
It’s been well documented how intense the start of the season has been for the Grizzlies. Their schedule is tied for the sixth-most difficult through last weekend, and playing half their games against playoff teams from last season was certainly challenging. And through it all the Griz are still above .500. The January schedule has zero back-to-backs, which a veteran team like Memphis should surely benefit from. It also includes more home games than away games, a first so far this season. The Grizzlies conclude a three-game road trip, their longest of the month, in Oklahoma City. Following is a season-long six-game home stand. For almost two weeks the Grizzlies will be in the comfort of their own homes with a good opportunity for a streak of wins against teams with a combined record of 88-106 through the first weekend in January. They must take on one of the hottest teams in the league first, dealing with Durant, Westbrook and the Thunder.
INJURIES
Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes served his two-game suspension and is back in the lineup. The team went 1-1 in his absence with both games going to overtime. Also, Brandan Wright will be sidelined until February after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
KEY MATCHUP
For as good as Stephen Curry and the Warriors have been, Russell Westbrook has been nearly as astonishing, and his Thunder are a player in the Western Conference. Westbrook has developed into the closest thing the league has ever seen to a modern incarnation of Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson. OKC’s point guard sits directly behind Curry in the advanced metrics of Player Efficiency Rating, offensive win shares and box plus/minus, but it’s his old school metrics that set him apart. Westbrook enters this week averaging 25.6 points, 9.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Those are numbers we just haven’t seen before. Should he keep up that pace, Westbrook would become the only player besides Robertson to average 25 points, nine assists and 6.5 rebounds per game over the course of an entire season. He’s done pretty well in two games against the Griz, averaging 26.5 points and 15.0 assists in a split of the games where OKC has scored an average of 119.5 points.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
We know the Thunder can score points with the duo of Durant and Westbrook, that’s never been an issue. Following a loss to Chicago on Christmas, the defense was a little shaky giving up 113.7 points per game, but the Thunder outscored all three of their opponents by averaging 121 points in that span; a tough pace to maintain, even with two of the most dynamic offensive players in the game. So coach Billy Donovan took his squad aside and pleaded for stronger play on the defensive end and the Thunder obliged by holding Charlotte to 90 points while recording their fourth consecutive victory and 13th in 15 games. What makes OKC so scary is that they are not a two-man team. They get contributions from Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Dion Waiters and Anthony Morrow, players who know their role and deliver on a nightly basis. Memphis won the first meeting between the teams, 122-114, knocking off the Thunder who played without Durant. With K.D. in the lineup the next time around, OKC showed no mercy with a 125-88 drubbing. Both those games were played in Memphis. Despite OKC having the second-highest scoring offense, the under is 22-12 overall and 13-7 on their floor. However, the teams cashed the over in both earlier meetings.
Oklahoma City 115, Memphis 104
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