Cleveland Cavaliers vs Memphis Grizzlies betting tips and predictions for Thursday’s NBA game on TNT. It’s the 2nd and final meeting this regular season between the Grizzlies and Cavaliers as they clash at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse tonight. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have exchanged wins and losses over their last 7 games, they just got beat by the Miami Heat 100-97 on their home court which was a rare sight to see. In 27 home games the Cavs have lost just 6 of them, a big reason for that disappointing defeat was the shooting of their two stars Garland and Mitchell who combined to go just 5 for 20 from three-point land.
Home form is something they’ll try to rely on once again tonight, they’ve beaten the Grizzlies in 13 of the last 17 meetings in this building and with no significant injuries to report they are in solid shape as we approach the all-star break. Cleveland has exceeded expectations so far this season, ranking 5th in the Eastern Conference.
Memphis Grizzlies
Since Ja Morant told reporters that no team in the West worries him, the Grizzlies have now gone 7-8 SU in such games after last night’s tough home loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. Morant went for 32 points and 12 assists, but there was not much he could do against Damian Lillard who once again exploded for 42 points. Despite the loss though, Memphis remains 2nd in the standings with a comfortable 3 game lead over the Kings in 3rd.
Tonight’s opponent the Cavs will be a tough match-up on the road, especially since the first meeting was decided by just 1 point in the Grizzlies favor some 2 weeks ago at FedEx Forum. Memphis is 5-1 SU in the last 6 meetings, and they are also 13-0 SU in their last 13 games vs Eastern Conference teams.
The Grizzlies have been on a downward trajectory for a while now, that’s not good news when you’re facing a home dominant team like the Cavs. Cleveland needs a result to bounce back after that Miami defeat, I have them covering in this one.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Memphis Grizzlies Predictions & Odds
A slower tempo by Miami was the main reason why we saw only 197 points in the last Cleveland game. A similar outcome is expected tonight against the Grizzlies, who have been struggling to score the ball lately. The elite defense by the Cavaliers will surely make their life tough on that end in this game, the Cavs are allowing just 107.4 points per 100 possessions. Pace wise they are dead last in the NBA averaging just 96.8 possessions per game, a stark contrast to the 104.4 possessions of Memphis which is 2nd only behind the Warriors.
Defensive efficiency is a strong suit of both teams as they rank 1st and 2nd in that category, and we will probably see it in full effect in tonight’s game. Cleveland has gone under the total in 5 of 6 games, while the Grizzlies are just 10-16 on the O/U on the road this season. Count on the pace slowing down in this one, back the under.
