by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Dec 31, 2021
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
Where to watch: Bally Sports Southeast-Memphis, CW35
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Grizzlies -6.5; O/U 224; Grizzlies -275, Spurs +220
BetMGM: Grizzlies -6.5; O/U 223.5; Grizzlies -278, Spurs +220
Caesars: Grizzlies -6.5; O/U 224
Season record
Grizzlies: 22-14 (4th place, Western Conference)
Spurs: 14-19 (10th place, Western Conference)
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Spurs - Grizzlies preview and analysis
Recent form
Spurs: lost 110-104 vs. Jazz on Monday
Grizzlies: won three straight; won 104-99 vs. Lakers on Wednesday
Just in case you forgot, Ja Morant is good. And he proved it sharing the stage with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
The star of the Memphis Grizzlies is on a tear, and he'll look to continue that while pushing that win streak to four games when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Morant dropped 41 points, outdueling James' 37 points, to jumpstart the conversation on if the Grizzlies should be in the upper echelon of the Western Conference's contenders.
Desmond Bane added 20 points, and the Grizzlies pushed their start to eight games above .500 and are in clear control of the Southwest Division near the halfway mark.
"What an unbelievable night by Ja," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. "When he got going it kind of fueled everyone else. We've said it from Day 1, he's built for moments like this."
But while the Grizzlies have canceled out that three-game losing streak they were on before Christmas, the books have not been kind to Memphis; they're 2-4 against the spread over the last six after covering the previous three.
If you're a fan of the over, that trend is shooting upward. Memphis has seen the over cash in four straight and seven of the last 10.
Back to Morant a quick second: He somehow bested his performance on Monday against the Phoenix Suns on the road. Morant finished with 33 points on 56 percent shooting; the only blip on his 41-point, 10-rebound double-double on Wednesday was shooting less than 50% (48.1%).
"I was taking what the defense gave me and it turned out good for us," Morant said. "That's normally how I attack every game. Tonight was just my night."
Just in case you forgot, Ja Morant is good. And he proved it sharing the stage with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
The star of the Memphis Grizzlies is on a tear, and he'll look to continue that while pushing that win streak to four games when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Morant dropped 41 points, outdueling James' 37 points, to jumpstart the conversation on if the Grizzlies should be in the upper echelon of the Western Conference's contenders.
Desmond Bane added 20 points, and the Grizzlies pushed their start to eight games above .500 and are in clear control of the Southwest Division near the halfway mark.
"What an unbelievable night by Ja," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. "When he got going it kind of fueled everyone else. We've said it from Day 1, he's built for moments like this."
But while the Grizzlies have canceled out that three-game losing streak they were on before Christmas, the books have not been kind to Memphis; they're 2-4 against the spread over the last six after covering the previous three.
If you're a fan of the over, that trend is shooting upward. Memphis has seen the over cash in four straight and seven of the last 10.
Back to Morant a quick second: He somehow bested his performance on Monday against the Phoenix Suns on the road. Morant finished with 33 points on 56 percent shooting; the only blip on his 41-point, 10-rebound double-double on Wednesday was shooting less than 50% (48.1%).
"I was taking what the defense gave me and it turned out good for us," Morant said. "That's normally how I attack every game. Tonight was just my night."
The Spurs, meanwhile, have seemed to found their identity at the right time. Despite a hard-fought 6-point loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday in the second night of a back-to-back at home, San Antonio covered for the fourth straight game as 7-point dogs.
More importantly, the Spurs are 4-2 in their last six with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers; there’s even a road win at Utah sprinkled in there despite Monday’s fallback.
San Antonio's game against the Miami Heat was postponed due to COVID protocols, so they come in having plenty of rest heading into this Southwest Division battle.
San Antonio's game against the Miami Heat was postponed due to COVID protocols, so they come in having plenty of rest heading into this Southwest Division battle.
The Spurs kept the game close even without starting point guard Dejounte Murray available due to health-and-safety protocol. Derrick White led the way with 21 points, while Doug McDermott had 17 for San Antonio.
"Overall, it was a good game for improvement, understanding how we have to play, and what this is all about," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I am actually pleased."
San Antonio’s offense was humming at a crazy pace over the previous 10 games before Monday, scoring 110 points in each game, the longest streak from the team since March 1984.
Prediction
It's hard to go against what the Grizzlies are doing right now, but I fully understand anyone taking the points with the Spurs. Their defense isn't where it should be, but watch how White guards Morant and for how long. I'll take Memphis by a slight cover. Grizzlies by 8
Betting trends
The Spurs are 10-3 ATS this season when an underdog between 3.5 and 9.5 points.
The Spurs are 48-43 ATS over the last three seasons after a loss.
The Grizzlies are 2-7 ATS this season when a home favorite of 6 points or less.
Projected starting lineup
Spurs:
PG: Tre Jones
SG: Derrick White
SF: Doug McDermott
PF: Keldon Johnson
C: Jakob Poeltl
SF: Doug McDermott
PF: Keldon Johnson
C: Jakob Poeltl
Grizzlies:
PG: Ja Morant
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Kyle Anderson
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Steven Adams
SF: Kyle Anderson
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Steven Adams
Key injuries
Spurs: Dejounte Murray (COVID, out), Lonnie Walker IV (knee, questionable)
Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks (COVID, out), Jarrett Culver (COVID, out), Sam Merrill (ankle, out)
Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks (COVID, out), Jarrett Culver (COVID, out), Sam Merrill (ankle, out)
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
