Game Time: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Spread:  Celtics -1

Fanduel:  Spread:  Celtics -1

ESPN:  Spread: 

Grizzlies: 43-20, 3rd place Western Conference

Celtics: 37-27, 6th place Eastern Conference

A non-conference battle of teams on the rise.  Memphis is winning and not only top-three in the West by record, but also top-three in the league by record.  Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr are the future.  Boston found a way to flip a switch.  After starting the season as a disappointment, the Celtics are finally winning at an appropriate clip for a team with a legitimate tandem of all-star swingmen.  SG Jaylen Brown and SF Jayson Tatum are no longer young stars to wait on… they have entered the world of NBA veteran all-stars and can no longer talk about development or the future.  It’s win now in Boston.  It’s win now in Memphis.

The Memphis Grizzlies are the toast of the league!  How could they not be… on the heels of Ja Morant’s 54 point performance that came with a posterizing dunk, a buzzer beating 0.4 halftime ending acrobatic shot, and 4 for 4 from the 3-point line!  The league is on notice that Ja Morant the Memphis Grizzlies young star PG, may be the best player in the game.  That is a heavy and hyperbolic declaration considering Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo  and the seasons they are having.  Still though Ja checks all the boxes for a crowd favorite!  The scoring, the joy, the artistry!  Plus Ja is not a 7’0 mountain of a man that no one can relate to… He is a 6’3 185 lbs PG.  Kids can actually envision growing up to be him (like Steph Curry)  and that will sell a lot of shoes.  The detractors have already started to weigh in by pointing out that uber athletic small guards tend to wear down and don’t have much longevity… like Derrick Rose and John Wall…. And the detractors have a point.  Still for anyone living in the moment, Ja is a great story… Memphis clearly won the 2019 draft.  The young team surrounding Ja is complete enough to win now with enough flexibility to get better in the years to come.    The Grizzlies have won 8 of their last ten games.  Oddly the two losses were to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers… I can think of no good excuse for this roster to lose to either of those teams.  The loss to Portland interrupted 6 straight wins ATS… Memphis is 8-2 ATS over their last ten games.  They are a great betting opportunity at the moment because they KEEP COVERING the spread!  Covered -8 to San Antonio, covered -11 to Detroit, covered -7.5 to Orlando and then in the next game covered -7.5 to the Los Angeles Clippers.  The Grizzlies win big when they win and they have been winning a lot lately.  Overall the team itself is a fantastic 42-21 ATS on the whole season!!  So look out… Vegas will catch on and the spreads will get wacky.  Know your limit and steer clear of the onslaught of double-digit spreads that are on the way.

The Boston Celtics have also won 8 of their last ten games. Also with an odd pattern of losing to bad teams with the two that they lost… The Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.  It’s mind-numbing to think how much this team, with all the momentum and rapidly rising in the Eastern Conference standings, must want the Detroit game back in the win column.  During the 10 game span they went 6-4 ATS.   Leading scorer SF Jayson Tatum gets 25.9 ppg while his cohort SG Jaylen Brown pulls in 23.2 ppg.  That is a combination of almost 50 points a night from two players.  The Celtics problem at the beginning of the season is they just didn’t know how to steer into the skid… They shouldn’t be looking for production elsewhere… they should be putting the ball in Jayson and Jalen’s hands and browbeating everyone else into getting stops and grabbing boards! Center Robert Williams III must take it on himself to average real double digits in rebounds!  At 9.8 rpg with 10 ppg, 2 blocks and 2 assists Robert is a fine Center… but bro… c’mon..  to survive as many trade deadlines as he has, those rebounds need to get to 13 per game. He is undersized at 6’8 and makes up for it with long arms and pure athleticism, but he needs to fully step into the Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman role to get this team over the top.  PG Marcus Smart (the pride of Flowermound Texas) is a fantastic defender… he needs to take it on himself to be the best on ball defender the league has… that is his strength, he needs to take it to the next level… leave the shooting to Jaylen and Jayson.  

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Memphis is 43-20 on the season, but 42-21 ATS.  They have logged 33 Overs, 29 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 22-10 in road games.

Boston is 37-27 on the season, but 32-31-1 ATS.  They have notched 27 Overs, 35 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 21-11 in home games.

The Grizzlies are 2nd in scoring with 113.9 ppg, 1st in rebounds with 49.3 per game, and 6th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9.  They are 14th on defense while allowing 109.1 ppg.

The Celtics are 17th in scoring with 109.2 ppg, 3rd in rebounds with 46.4 per game, and 18th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7.  On defense they rank 3rd while holding 103.8 ppg.

Our prediction for Thursday, March 3rd is….  Grizzlies 118 - Celtics 107

The Grizzlies will win.  The role they are on is too powerful and intoxicating.  The offensive numbers are through the roof as well.  The key matchup to watch out for is at Center where Steven Adams has the type of big body that Robert Williams III won’t be able to skirt or fight through.  With both teams basically at full health, the Grizzlies have the immediate advantage.

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Memphis is 28-19 ATS versus Boston since 1996
Memphis is 18-6 ATS in all games played at Boston since 1996.
Boston is 8-1 ATS versus good rebounding teams this season.

Grizzlies:  SG Dillon Brooks (ankle) Out ** 

Celtics: SG Jaylen Brown (ankle) Doubtful ** 

Grizzlies: SF Ziaire Williams, PF Jaren Jackson Jr, C Steven Adams, PG Ja Morant, SG Desmond Bane

Celtics: SF Jayson Tatum, PF Al Horford, C Robert Williams III, SG Jaylen Brown, PG Marcus Smart

Grizzlies

Points: Ja Morant 27.6

Assists: Ja Morant 6.6

Rebounds: Steven Adams 9.9

Steals: De’Anthony Melton 1.6

Blocks: Jaren Jackson Jr 2.2

Celtics

Points: Jayson tatum 25.9

Assists: Marcus Smart 5.4

Rebounds: Robert Williams III 9.8

Steals: Marcus Smart 1.8

Blocks:  Robert Williams III 2.2

Grizzlies: Taylor Jenkins

Celtics: Ime Udoka