NBA: Memphis Grizzlies VS Denver Nuggets Pick and Predictions 12/20/2022

Game: 10:10 PM ET,  Tuesday, December 20th, 2022

Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado

TV:  TNT

Grizzlies: 19-10, 1st place Western Conference

Nuggets: 18-11, 3rd place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: (will update)

PointsBet: Point Spread: 

Fanduel: Point Spread: 

Grizzlies: PF Jaren Jackson Jr, SF Dillon Brooks, C Stephen Adams, PG Ja Morant, SG John Konchar

Nuggets: PF Bruce Brown, SF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic, SG Kentavious Caldwell Pope, PG Jamal Murray

A Western Conference NBA battle of quality teams with ultra all-stars.  The Memphis Grizzlies are in first place in the Western Conference… and that shouldn’t take anyone by surprise had they watched the Grizzlies last season, but still it has.  The Grizzlies have PG Ja Morant leading them.  Ja is so electric that he alone is worth a few wins… add to Ja a roster full of quality starters backed by quality depth… and you get a 1st place team as the league approaches the 30 game mark.  The Denver Nuggets have a two time MVP in C Nikola Jokic.  Nikola is so fundamentally sound and powerful that he alone has dragged a team of misfit toys to 3rd place.  The curse of Denver with Nikola in the fold is that they just aren’t talented or healthy enough around Jokic to get to the promised land.  Same story every year… Denver wins enough games for a nice spot in the playoffs… then promptly gets overpowered by a better TEAM… no matter how great Nikola looks in those games.  The great betting opportunity here must start with the fact that Denver is at home… and Memphis is missing SG Desmond Bane to the injury list until late December.  Let’s check the numbers and come to a prediction.

The Memphis Grizzlies lost their last game to the Oklahoma City Thunder… a shocking outcome when the Grizz were favored by -11. The loss snapped a 9-game winning streak. The obvious cause of the loss is that PG Ja Morant left the game after 16 minutes of playing time… registering 6 pts, 5 rbs, and 5 asts (a great line for 16 minutes).  Have no fear, it is not because of injury like when the Grizzlies played the Thunder on November 18th and he was carried off the court… it was a simple ejection for jawing at a fan.  He will play against the Nuggets.  With Ja out AND Desmond Bane out… SF Dillon Brooks filled in admirably with 32 points… but the rest of the team were a bit silent.

The Denver Nuggets have won 4 of their last 5 games.  They won their last game over the Charlotte Hornets 119-115… sadly it was a loss ATS as the spread was Denver -9.  In fact the Nuggets are 12-17 ATS on the season which sharply contrasts with their winning record. In the win Denver Center NIkola Jokic had yet another AMAZING statline: 40 POINTS, 27 REBOUNDS, AND 10 ASSISTS!  A 40-20-10 triple double… Those are Wilt Chamberlain numbers… Those are young Kareem numbers… apparently they are also back to back MVP winning numbers. If the Nuggets decided to trade Jokic today?... They could reasonably ask for players, picks, more picks, salary relief, more players, more picks, first born children… etc etc.  He is clearly very valuable… which is why PG Jamal Murray and SF Aaron Gordon should be on notice… cause if this version of the Nuggets does not get over the top?... The team needs to break it up… and they aren’t going to trade Jokic.  No team could afford him.  

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The Grizzlies are 6th in scoring with 116.2 points per game, 1st in rebounds with 49.1 per game, 13th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7, and 3rd in blocked shots with 5.8 per game.

The Nuggets are 7th in scoring with 115.8 points per game, 14th in rebounds with 43.2 per game, 3rd in AST/TO ratio with 1.8, and 22nd in blocked shots with 4.4 per game.

Our prediction for Tuesday, December 20th is…. Grizzlies 122 - Nuggets 119

Bet on the Grizzlies. Jokic will have a big body to contend with (Steven Adams) under the basket… while Ja Morant will torch Jamal Murray on every possession.  The lines will be updated, but DraftKings has a preliminary line of Denver -1.  Bet on the Grizzlies.

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Denver is 29-17 ATS versus Memphis since 1996.

Memphis is 5-1 ATS when playing on 2 days rest this season.

Denver is 23-47 ATS in a home game where the total is 220 or greater.

Grizzlies: SF Dillon Brooks.  Originally PF Jaren Jackson Jr was supposed to be the second best player in Memphis behind Ja… Then SG Desmond Bane came along and took that mantle (along with Dillon Brooks spot as the starting SG).. but now with Desmond on the injury list and Jaren clearly not the #2… We get to see Dillon Brooks in all his glory.  The guy could be the key to having an actual Robin behind Ja’s Batman.

Nuggets: C Deandre Jordan.  Yes, he still plays.  Deandre currently mops up bench minutes in Denver.  With his style of Center relegated to the history books, Deandre has clung to the league by simply having a big body and 6 available fouls. Still it is fun to watch the past.  To get a history lesson.  Just 7 seasons ago Jordan was courted by multiple teams as his free agency caused a frenzy between the Dallas Mavericks and an envoy of Los Angeles Clippers who descended on Dallas to beg Deandre to go back on his handshake with Mark Cuban… all that fuss over a guy that faded into the NBA wallpaper… completely ineffectual in a world with Jokic, Giannis, Embiid… turns out your Center needs to hit shots and occasionally handle the ball if he wants to stay on an NBA floor… Those are Deandre Jordan weaknesses… even if he possesses a 7’1, muscled body that would have made him the most important guy on a team in the 80’s.

Grizzlies: Taylor “Does anyone know my name yet?” Jenkins

Nuggets: Michael “Does anyone know MY name yet?” Malone