Toronto Raptors vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/5/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Saturday, Feb 04, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Venue: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
Where to watch: BSSE-MEM, TSN

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Grizzlies -5
FanDuel: Odds not yet available
BetMGM: Odds not yet available
Caesars: Odds not yet available

Season record
Raptors: 24-30
Grizzlies: 32-20

The All-Stars have been announced, the trade deadline is days away, and the NBA season has never seen so much parity and intrigue than it has at this moment. All you need to do is look at the Western Conference and laugh with a hearty burst at how ridiculous this season has been. You know what's not ridiculous? Our champion handicappers continuing to kill it on the NBA level over the last 30 days. All you need to do is take one look at what they're doing and see that this is the place to be as we purge through the second half of the season. Doc's Sports has been tremendous over the last month with a 17-8-0 run and net profit of $8,100. Team Del Genio has also been very good at an 11-6-1 run that has made for some very exciting runs near to the top. Basketball is taking full swing with football about to be set on the back burner, and you want to be locked in at bigal.com. Take advantage of our Best Bets page at bigal.com to see what our champion handicappers bring to the table. Make sure you're following winners at bigal.com and get that same kind of money in your pocket.

Raptors - Grizzlies preview, prediction and analysis


Recent form
Raptors: won 117-111 at Rockets
Grizzlies: lost 128-113 at Cavaliers

Just when you would like to think that the Memphis Grizzlies have actually made some strides in getting back to the way things were before injuries and the like, they have continued to find ways to lose and have done so in different ways over the last couple of weeks that have made you scratch your head.
 
And now they take on a Toronto Raptors team that is going to have a lot of eyes on them between now and the trade deadline next week and quite frankly it has gotten to the point where I'm not even sure who to actually take in this matchup because I don't even know if I trust the Grizzlies right now.
 
Memphis is coming off what would be a very interesting game, losing 128-113 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in a game in which Dillon Brooks what's the suspended for this game because he hit Donovan Mitchell below the belt. He can't really do that in the NBA, I'm not really sure if teams or players know this but you cannot do that in the NBA and not expect retaliation.
 
Desmond Bane led the way with 25 points wild Ja Morant had 24 points, 8 rebounds and eight assists despite shooting just nine of 20 from the floor. You're not going to win many games if your superstar is shooting that low volume and is also a - 14 on the floor.
 
“Anything when it comes to negative about the Grizzlies, we normally, you know, get the punishment," Morant said. "It ain’t the same. They (the NBA) hate us.”
 
But in all seriousness, what is going on with the Grizzlies right now is a tad awkward. Memphis has lost seven of its last eight and has failed to cover in six of its last eight in a run where they should be considered the top team in the West along with the Denver Nuggets but have failed on a massive level. And suddenly when you look at the prospects of the southwest division and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, it's not a safe environment right now for the Grizzlies.
 
Toronto finally got off the slide on Friday with a 117-111 victory over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. It was much needed for Toronto after losing by 8 to the banged up Phoenix Suns and by three to the middle of the road Utah Jazz. Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with 32 points on 10 of 22 shooting in what might be one of his final games as a member of the Raptors, and Gary Trent had 29 points on 10 of 15 shooting as the Raptors shot 45.6% from the floor and made 15 of 39 from 3 point range.
 
“There wasn't a lot of energy in the building or from us at the start,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “But give our guys off the bench some credit to come in and get some energy going. They kind of righted the ship and got into some good, nice stretches there of playing at both ends.”
 
Considering the fact that Toronto has to go on the road and is 4-3 out right in its last seven games, I don't even trust Toronto at this point. The Raptors are 3-4 against the spread in their last seven games and right now the slide down the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings makes everyone wonder how desperate is Toronto to make a move? It might be sooner than we think.
 
Prediction
 
Toronto has covered the last five meetings in Memphis while the over has cashed in the last four in the great state of Tennessee. And with that comes the curiosity of Toronto finding a way to win this thing outright, and with the current struggles in Memphis, I would not be shocked. Raptors 117, Grizzlies 112

Betting trends


Raptors are 10-15 ATS on the road the last 3 seasons.

Raptors are 8-6 ATS after two straight road games this season.

Grizzlies are 16-9 ATS at home this season.

Grizzlies are 15-6 ATS in non-conference games this season.

Projected starting lineup


Raptors:
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: Jauncho Hernangomez
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Pascal Siakam

Grizzlies:
PG: Ja Morant
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Ziaire Williams
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Brandon Clarke

Statistical leaders

Raptors:
Points: Pascal Siakam -- 24.8
Rebounds: Pascal Siakam -- 8.0
Assists: Fred VanVleet -- 6.5

Grizzlies:
Points: Ja Morant -- 27.3
Rebounds: Steven Adams -- 11.5
Assists: Ja Morant -- 8.3

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Toronto Raptors - Memphis Grizzlies prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.

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.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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