It’s highly unlikely a change of venue will affect the outcome of this series. San Antonio engineered yet another blowout of the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2, downing the visitors 94-68 Tuesday to become just the third team in NBA postseason history to win each of its first two contests by 25 points or more.
You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
LOOK AHEAD
Leave it to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to find something wrong with his team’s Game 2 effort. Playing against an undermanned Memphis club decimated by injuries, the Spurs had 19 turnovers, the most they’ve coughed the ball up since committing 21 turnovers in a win over Sacramento on Mar. 5. The Grizzlies’ injury situation somewhat hides the fact they play a scrappy, disruptive brand of defense that the Spurs believe will provide learning opportunities for the later rounds.
San Antonio certainly can’t afford to waste time with a potential matchup against third-seeded Oklahoma City on the horizon. It’s expected this series won’t return to San Antonio. Still, the Spurs maintain that staying motivated and focused against such an injury-ravaged Grizzlies squad won’t be a problem.
INJURIES
The Grizzlies season came to a screeching halt when Marc Gasol went down with a busted foot in early February and Mike Conley was shelved with an Achilles injury in early March. Tony Allen and Zach Randolph also missed games down the stretch. But credit Memphis for qualifying for the postseason while using an NBA record 28 players during the regular year.
A pair of blowout victories has allowed the Spurs to rest their veterans. No starter played more than 27 minutes on Tuesday and all eight bench players played at least six minutes while contributing to the point total.
KEY MATCHUP
The Spurs owned the NBA’s top ranked scoring defense during the regular season and they’ve been even better during the NBA playoffs. San Antonio’s suffocating defense held Memphis to franchise postseason lows in total points and points in a quarter during Tuesday’s 94-68 victory. After matching a franchise low with a 13-point first quarter in Game 1, the Grizzlies lowered that mark by tying a franchise low for any quarter with 11 points in Tuesday’s opening period.
It’s been a massive struggle for the Grizzlies to score in this series. Memphis has been limited to 35.8 percent shooting from the field with a woeful 31.3 percent from three-point range. Heck, the Griz have even struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 58.3 percent from the stripe in the series. A lot of that has to do with the Spurs defensive intensity, but the Griz offer no real consistent scoring threat outside of Zach Randolph, and San Antonio has been able to put the clamps on him.
QUICK PICK
Unlike the Dallas Mavericks, who overcame a blowout loss in Game 1 of their first round series to pull off the upset in Game 2, the Grizzlies offered little resistance and were hammered again by the Spurs. And things don’t look very encouraging, even with the series shifting to Memphis for Games 3 and 4. Despite being outmanned, the Griz are playing scrappy. They forced 19 turnovers on Tuesday but just couldn’t do anything on the offensive end.
Even at full strength the Grizzlies would have a hard time beating the Spurs in a seven-game series. Pile on the injuries and the task is nearly impossible. The only question now is can the Griz get a win. And they way things have gone so far, I think we know the answer.
NBA Odds: San Antonio 104, Memphis 88
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! Bet on the NBA today as the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies square off Friday, April 22, 2016, at 9:30 p.m. ET at FedExForum. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
