Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

Memphis has reached the Los Angeles portion of its road trip and first up is the Clippers on Sunday night. The Grizzlies (38-24) lost at Denver on Friday, 113-97, losing ATS also as +5.5 underdogs. Los Angeles (33-33) lost by a point at Sacramento on Friday, 128-127, winning ATS as +7 underdogs. This is the first meeting between these teams this season and the first of three meetings over the next 15 games. Tipoff from the Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. EST.

Still distance to the top for Memphis

In second place in the Western Conference postseason race, the Grizz are six back of Nuggets in the top spot. They have gone 4-2 straight up in their last six games and are 3-3 ATS in that span. On the year Memphis has gone 29-32-1 ATS. Their offense ranks ninth in the NBA with an average of 115.6 points per game. Memphis is shooting 46.7% from the field and 34.2% from three for the season. Their scoring average over the last five games was 109.6 per game behind 43.6% shooting overall. The Grizzlies’ defense has allowed 111.6 points per game, the sixth best average in the league. Opponents have shot 44.7% from the field and 35.4% from three against Memphis this season. The Grizzlies are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, averaging 47.6 per game, behind only Milwaukee. They are turning the ball over on average 13.2 times per game.

I highlight Desmond Bane’s 30 bomb and excellent play tonight against the Rockets.

The Grizzlies have now won 3 games in a row! pic.twitter.com/vrcLFeSrhG

— Xavier Dotson (@ZaytimeTakes) March 2, 2023

The team learned on Saturday that they will be without star Ja Morant for at least two games after the guard decided it was a wise idea to flash a gun on an Instagram story. Desmond Bane, the team’s second leading scorer with 21.3 points per game, averaged 18.8 points per game over his last four, shooting 50% overall.

Losses sinking Los Angeles

The Clippers were in a much better place less than two weeks ago, then came the five-game slide which they currently find themselves mired in. They currently sit in eighth place in the Western Conference, just a game back of Dallas in the sixth slot, above the play-in line. Los Angeles is 32-34 ATS for the year and 1-4 ATS in their last five games. The Clips offense is 23 in the NBA with an average of 112.4 points per game. They are shooting 47% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range. In their last five games Los Angeles has averaged 123.6 points per game on 48.5% shooting. On defense they have allowed an average of 112.7 points per game, 12 in the NBA. Teams have shot 47.3% from the field and 36.2% from three against the Clippers this season. They are in the middle-of-the-pack in rebounding, sitting 15 in the NBA with 43.4 rebounds per game. Same for their 13.6 turnovers per game, though they are 16 in that department.

Footwork master class from Kawhi Leonard. pic.twitter.com/ajRk40EDRz

— Joey Burton (@JoeyBurton) February 25, 2023

Kawhi Leonard shot 8-for-12 and scored 21 points in the team’s loss to Golden State, but he sat out their last game versus Sacramento. Over the last four games he played, the Clippers forward averaged 30.3 points per game and shot 59.7% overall.

Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

With no prior history this season between the two, we look for another barometer in a common opponent and we find that both teams have played Denver within their last four games. The Clippers took the Nuggets to overtime before falling 134-124 on the road. The Grizzlies beat Denver at home two weeks back, then just lost to them on the road by 16 points. Both of those Memphis games have Morant involved and with him out of any game favor starts to shift towards the other team. While the Clippers haven’t won in a bit, they are still scoring and shooting well above their season averages. Leonard should be a go for this game after getting his rest, and Paul George has been playing well and scoring in bunches lately. Memphis’ scoring has been down over their last five games and that was with Morant in the lineup. Without him, there will be trouble on the road. Over their current losing streak, Los Angeles has lost two games by just a point and forced two into overtime. So, they’ve been close and after a two-game road trip, returning home will be the fix they need…that and no Morant.

Take the Clippers.

Prediction: Los Angeles -6

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

Over their last five games each, these two have combined to average 233.3 points per game. That would look good enough to lean over, but that number is slightly inflated due to the Clippers seeing two of their games into overtime, one of which went to double OT and had 351 combined points. Memphis is going to be without their top scorer and even with him they scored 113 or less in five of their last seven games. If you remove Los Angeles’ overtime tilts, their last three games saw them average just 106.3 points per game. These two teams have had a combined 70 games go under this season. The under is 8-1 in the last nine games in which Memphis has played on one day's rest. The under is also 12-3 in the Clippers' last 15 home games versus a team whose road record is less than .400.

Take the under.

Prediction: Under 232

A sportswriter for over a decade, Craig has covered everything from the little leagues to the big leagues. His work has been seen on MLB.com, ESPN.com and in the sports pages of the Boston Globe and Miami Herald, among others. Having had a front-row seat to all the action, he has been able to positively blend a little bit of the old and the new when it comes to analyzing the game and breaking it all down. Though longing for the days of the old football card that would be passed around in the halls of high school, Craig is happy to see the business flourishing and ready to put his own mark on things as he joins our team here at StatSalt and Winners & Whiners.