Memphis Grizzlies vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview, and Odds

Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas - Super Bowl

This Sunday, the (34-21) Memphis Grizzlies will travel to Boston, MA to take on the (40-16) Boston Celtics. Tipoff will be at 2:00 PM EST inside TD Garden. This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season, as the Celtics won the last matchup, 109-106.

The Grizzlies are coming into this one after taking down the Minnesota Timberwolves, 128-107. They looked great on both ends of the floor, as they will have to stay hot in this one if they want to take down the Celtics on the road.

The Boston Celtics are entering this game after beating the Charlotte Hornets, 127-116. They were on fire on the offensive end of the court, as they will have to stay efficient if they want to take care of business at home.

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This game was written/published before last night's results.

Can the Grizzlies Compete on the Road?

The Memphis Grizzlies are currently in second place in the Western Conference standings, as they are 3.5 games back from the Denver Nuggets. On offense, they are scoring 116.2 points per game and they have shot 47.1% from the floor. This is the eighth most points scored per contest and the 19th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Grizzlies have the 17th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Ja Morant continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 27.5 points per game on 47% shooting from the field. Memphis has also shown that they are more successful when they are attacking the basket. They have only shot 34.4% from behind the arc, which is the 23rd-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies have also been terrible at the charity stripe. They have only knocked down 72% of their shots at the line, which is the lowest free-throw percentage in the NBA.

On the defensive end of the court, the Grizzlies surrender 112.1 points per game and their opponents have only shot 44.9% from the floor. This is the ninth least amount of points given up per game and the lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Grizzlies have the second-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. Memphis has also shown that they will contest shots near the rim and on the outside. Their opponents have only shot 35.6% from deep, which is the 12th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed. The Memphis Grizzlies are also snatching 48 rebounds per game, which is the second most.

Injury Report: Steven Adams C (Knee) is out.

Can Boston Stay Strong at Home?

The Boston Celtics are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they have a one-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. On offense, they're scoring 117.6 points per game and they have shot 47.4% from the floor. This is the fourth most points scored per contest and the 14th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Celtics have the second-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Jayson Tatum continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 30.8 points per game on 46.5% shooting from the floor. Boston has also shown that they can score from anywhere on the floor. They are shooting 37.6% from behind the arc, which is the seventh-highest three-point shooting percentage. Boston has also taken care of business at the charity stripe, as they have knocked down 82.8% of their shots at the line. This is the highest free-throw shooting percentage in the league, as they can't miss out on these free points and still expect to win these games.

On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics are allowing 111.5 points per game and their opponents have shot 46.5% from the floor. This is the sixth least amount of points surrendered per game and the seventh-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Celtics have the fifth-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. But, they have shown that they will contest shots on the perimeter and inside the paint. They have forced their opponents to shoot 35.1% from deep, which is the ninth-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed. They have snatched 45 rebounds per game as well. This is the seventh most in the league, as they will have to crash the defensive glass if they want to keep the Grizzlies from scoring second-chance points.

Injury Report: Al Horford C (Knee) is questionable. Jaylen Brown SG (Face) and Marcus Smart PG (Ankle) are out.

Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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I am going to take the Celtics and I am going to lay the points (-3.5) at home. The Grizzlies are only (3-7) in their last 10 games played and this Celtics team is extremely tough to beat when they are at home. Boston is currently (22-7) inside TD Garden, as I see them staying hot in this one. They have the advantage on the offensive end of the court, as they have the second-highest adjusted offensive rating and they are scoring the fourth most points per game. The Grizzlies won't get consistent stops, which will allow the Celtics to slowly pull away. Boston has also shown that they can turn it on defensively, as I see the Grizzlies having a hard time scoring against Robert Williams, who protects the paint. Boston has the fifth-lowest adjusted defensive rating and they are holding their opponents to the sixth least amount of points per game. Memphis isn't a great shooting team and they won't be able to consistently score in the paint. This will really hurt them and keep them from covering this spread.

Pick the Boston Celtics and lay the points (-3.5) at home.

Prediction: Boston Celtics -3.5

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Full-Game Total Pick

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I am going to get bold and I am going to take the under in this one. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Celtics have the 17th-lowest adjusted tempo rating and the low of Jaylen Brwon is going to impact their offensive negatively. They will slow this game down and limit the number of shots taken from the floor, as neither of these teams will have enough opportunities to push this total over the number. I also believe that both of these teams are elite on the defensive end of the court. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Grizzlies have the second-lowest adjusted defensive rating and the Celtics have the fifth-lowest. Both defenses will be the story of this game and the total will remain under the number. The Grizzlies have also struggled to consistently score when they can't attack the paint, as I see them struggling in this game. They only have the 19th-highest team shooting percentage and the 23rd-highest three-point shooting percentage. Boston will lock them down and keep them from scoring enough points to push this total over the number.

Pick the under and expect both defenses to show up in this one.

Prediction: Under

Mason graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and he has been watching SportsCenter since before he could walk. He has been crunching numbers since he could learn to count and nothing makes Mason happier in this world than talking sports, unless he is on the golf course! We are very happy to have added Mason to our team at StatSalt and you will be glad as well. Let's win some money!