Both of the No. 1 seeds in the NBA playoffs fell behind 2-1 in their respective series, but both have bounced back in big ways to win both Games 4 and 5. The Golden State Warriors (74-17 SU, 51-39-1 ATS) have done so in tremendously emphatic fashion, and they should once again be heavy favorites to finish this series off against the Memphis Grizzlies (61-31 SU, 45-44-3 ATS) in Game 6 at the Grindhouse.
GRIZZLIES MISSING ALLEN
Tony Allen was a relatively late scratch from Game 5 of this series thanks to a hamstring injury, and the Grizzlies just never had a shot to defend anyone on the perimeter because of it.
Vince Carter played some at the 2-guard spot, as did Beno Udrih and Courtney Lee, and none of the three were able to really get in the face of any of the spot-up shooters for the Warriors.
Stephen Curry didn't have his best game in the world, as he scored just 18 points, but he hit six of Golden State's 14 threes on the night, many of which came when the ball was moving around the perimeter.
Obviously it's still a little early to tell whether the Grizzlies will or will not have Allen in this game, but if they don't, there really isn't a circumstance where we wouldn't bet on the Warriors in live betting, knowing that a major run is very likely to come when the threes start falling.
GRIZZ UNABLE TO REBOUND FROM THEIR MISTAKES
The Grizzlies aren't going to catch the same sort of grief that the Houston Rockets will, but we see some similarities in both sides.
When things have gone south for Memphis over the course of the last two games, the team has just folded up shop and never recovered. Now, the difference between the Grizzlies and the Rockets is that Memphis doesn't have the shooters to step back and make threes like Houston does. The Rockets have major offensive weapons all over the court, while the Grizzlies just don't have any long range options and have to do their scoring in the paint.
The problem as we have seen it though, has been that the offense is killing the defense. Missed baskets, especially those long two-point shots that clang off the rim, end up resulting in fast breaks for the Dubs. They had 31 fast break points in Game 5, and they'll likely get out and run time and time again in Game 6 of this series as well.
Let's not forget that Memphis led by 13 in the first quarter of Game 5. Even at that point, Golden State was lined at -5 in live betting, and obviously for good reason. Within four minutes, the Warriors were ahead by one, and they never looked back from there.
The Grizzlies shot just 31 percent from the field in the second through fourth quarters, and they scored just a total of 53 points in those frames.
Remember that Memphis hasn't scored 100 points in a game in this series, and when you're playing against a team like Golden State, scoring 100 is a prerequisite for having any success whatsoever.
If the Grizzlies are going to be worthy of live betting consideration, they are flat out going to have to make some shots. They didn't do that even though they have a number of great opportunities to do so in Games 4 and 5, and we have a tough time believing that they can do so in Game 6 either.
The NBA betting lines for this Friday game will be first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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