It’s hard to take Memphis seriously in this matchup after losing 14 of their final 17 regular season games. It’s even more difficult to envision the banged up Grizzlies winning in San Antonio, where the Spurs fell just once all season.
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Memphis Grizzlies +15.5
San Antonio Spurs -15.5
Over/Under 190
LOOK AHEAD
The first round draw couldn’t be more favorable for the Spurs. The Grizzlies have been wrecked by injuries during the second part of the season, with All-Star center Marc Gasol and starting point guard Mike Conley out for the season. Memphis’ roster has been padded with players on 10-day contracts and the Griz closed the season losing 14 of their final 17 games. That included a pair of losses to the Spurs, on Mar. 25 and 28, in which San Antonio rested starters.
If there is one stat that sums up the Grizzlies’ jagged season, it’s this: Memphis had 28 different players take the court at some point during the year, the most in NBA history. The Spurs enter the playoff series with a five-game winning streak over the Grizzlies and are 20-4 against them since dropping a playoff series in 2011.
INJURIES
The Grizzlies have already lost three players – Gasol, Conley and Brandan Wright – for the season and they could be without guard Tony Allen for the series opener. Allen missed the final three regular season games with a sore hamstring and is questionable ahead of Sunday’s game.
Boris Diaw returned for the Spurs’ final regular season game and played 20 minutes off the bench. He missed the previous five games while suffering from a groin injury. LaMarcus Aldridge is still dealing with a sore finger after having the digit dislocated on Apr. 7. He sat out the finale, but more as a precaution.
KEY MATCHUP
Kawhi Leonard is the best player on a historically good Spurs team. If not for the record-breaking Warriors, most of the discussion this NBA season would revolve around San Antonio and its 67 wins. Less than a dozen teams in league history won as many games as the Spurs did this season. Leonard is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and probably deserves to win it again. He’s a huge reason why San Antonio gives up the fewest points per 100 possessions than any team in the league. But Leonard’s development on the offensive end makes him one of the best in the game. His scoring and assist averages have both improved each year he’s played. This season he averaged over 21 points per game and shot over 50 percent from the field. He’s also established himself as an elite perimeter shooter, hitting threes at just over 44 percent, which is third-best in the NBA. The shorthanded Grizzlies will have a difficult time stopping him.
QUICK PICK
This is the time of year the Spurs prepare for. They spent the entire regular season getting ready for the playoffs and getting past last year’s first-round ouster by the Clippers. San Antonio is a hungry group and coach Gregg Popovich handled them perfectly the entire year. He rested his veterans when he could and integrated new pieces into the legendary core. And all the Spurs did was go and win a franchise record 67 games. San Antonio said all the right things about their first round series, how they’re not overlooking the Grizzlies despite the injury troubles. But it has to be tough to take a team that lost 14 of 17 to end the year seriously. It’s the playoffs and the Griz will be amped. That’s why I like the 15.5 points.
NBA Odds: San Antonio 106, Memphis 95
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs will take place Sunday, April 16, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET at the ATT Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
