Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors betting tips and predictions for Wednesday’s NBA Western Conference Playoff game on TNT. The Memphis Grizzlies are facing elimination against the Golden State Warriors as the two teams lock horns once again at FedEx Forum for Game 5 of their series. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Memphis Grizzlies
The news coming out of Memphis isn’t good if you’re a Grizzlies fan as Ja Morant’s status is in doubt once again after it was revealed he has a bruised knee which could keep him out for the rest of this series. They put up a decent fight without him in Game 4 leading on multiple occasions and being up by 8 points mid-way through the 4th quarter, but in the end, they just ran out of steam. In total 5 players scored in double-figures, with Jaren Jackson Jr. leading the way with another 21 point performance.
When Morant doesn’t play defence becomes the number 1 priority for the Grizz and I fully expect that to be the case in tonight’s game. Memphis has won 13 of 16 games and they are 6-3 ATS in their last 9 vs Western Conference opponents. We’ll see if they are good enough to cover as 4-point underdogs tonight.
Golden State Warriors
Health has clearly been on the Warriors’ side in this series, even if they’ve lost Gary Payton II to an elbow injury. Stephen Curry has fully recovered and led the way with 32 points in the Game 4 win. The one thing that should worry Warriors fans is the play of Klay Thompson who failed to make a single three on Monday and went just 6-for-20 from the field.
If they don’t get them going soon, it could be an issue in the next series against the winner of the Suns/Mavs series. Game 4 wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but that’s what championship teams do – they find a way to win under all circumstances. Golden State now has an opportunity to advance here, they’ve failed to cover the spread in their last 5 road games in Memphis, so it will be a lot harder than it might seem on paper.
Without Morant, it’s just hard to win, especially at this level. Yes, Memphis is 20-6 without him this season, however, that’s more of a regular season record. With some things you just can’t get away within the playoffs, so I’m expecting the Warriors to make a statement and end this series on the road. Back the road team to cover.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors Predictions
We’ve seen some movement on the line for Game 5, first it opened at 218.5 points and now on game-day it has moved up to 220.5 which is a sign that people are expecting a high scoring game here. So far the two teams have split the 4 games going over/under twice. However, this being a road game it’s fairly obvious to expect the Warriors to push the tempo as 4 of their last 5 games away from home have all gone over. In fact, that’s been the face in 7 of their last 10 overall and against the Grizzlies they are averaging 110.3 points per game during that stretch.
Memphis isn’t far behind with 109.7 points scored in those games, not having Morant will be challenging on offence but we’ve seen on a number of occasions they are able to fill it up without him. They are averaging just a tad under 118 points per game in the 26 played without Morant this season, I think that’s a pretty decent number to come into tonight’s game with. I’m expecting a high paced game here, so let’s back the points.
