Lakers vs. Grizzlies odds, prediction: NBA playoffs Game 2 picks
Only three games have been more lopsided this postseason than the Lakers’ 128-112 win over the Grizzlies in Sunday’s series opener.
But the betting market is expecting a hotly contested affair when these teams meet for a Game 2 rematch on Wednesday.
Memphis opened as the favorite to even the series, though some late action has moved the point spread in Los Angeles’ favor, all while the market waits to see whether Ja Morant (hand) will suit up in this one.
Here’s how we’re betting Wednesday’s contest, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Grizzlies vs. Lakers odds
- Lakers -1.5 (+100), moneyline -110
- Grizzlies +1.5 (-120), moneyline -110
- O/U 226.5 (-110)
Grizzlies vs. Lakers prediction and analysis
(7:30 p.m. ET on TNT)
So let me get this straight: the Lakers beat the Grizzlies by 16 points in Game 1, which was the fourth-widest margin of any playoff game to this point, and Memphis lost its best player to a hand injury that will either limit him on Wednesday or sideline him entirely.
Why, exactly, are these two teams dealing at a dead-even price ahead of Game 2?
Even before their win on Sunday, the Lakers profiled as the better team in this matchup: They’ve posted the NBA’s second-best record (20-8) since the deadline acquisitions of D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley – all of whom have entrenched themselves as fixtures of this rebuilt rotation.
So has fellow midseason addition Rui Hachimura, who scored 21 of his team-high 29 points in the second half of Sunday’s statement win.
That may seem like a fluke on the surface, but he’s quietly scored in double figures in six of his last seven games and has shot better than 60% from the floor in four of them.
And then there’s Austin Reaves (23 points), who established himself as a legitimate threat with the ball in his hands during LeBron James’ lengthy absence near the end of the regular season.
And since James returned to the starting lineup, the new-look Lakers are a stellar 8-1 outright (5-4 against the spread) with six double-digit wins.
That includes Sunday’s blowout victory against Memphis, which had virtually no answer for Los Angeles’ cadre of offensive weapons in Game 1.
The Lakers exploited their size advantage early and often in that series-opening win, scoring 56 points in the paint with 10 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points.
That also helped fuel a barrage from beyond the arc (16-of-37), with four different Lakers hitting at least three triples on Sunday.
It’s hard not to feel like this series would be different if Brandon Clarke (Achilles) or Steven Adams (knee) were available for the Grizzlies.
They won’t be on Wednesday, and there’s a chance that Morant could join them on the sidelines after injuring his right hand late in Game 1.
Betting on the NBA?
He was already wearing a wrap around that hand before landing on it awkwardly in the fourth quarter, and the team has been mum about his availability for Game 2.
Even if he does suit up, the early reports out of Memphis’ practice suggest that he could be severely limited barring a miraculous three-day recovery.
If he isn’t at full strength, what does that mean for the Grizzlies’ offense?
Tyus Jones is an ultra-efficient floor general, and Desmond Bane is a high-level No. 2 option, but this team lacks a dynamic driving threat or elite shot creator – let alone both in one package – outside of Morant.
That isn’t to say that Memphis is doomed without a healthy Morant; we’ve seen this team succeed for large stretches in that spot over the last two years.
But it’s absurd to price this game as a coin flip whether he plays or not, especially against arguably the hottest team in the NBA.
