Memphis finally returned to the win column Saturday with a nerve-wracking four-point victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies will look to make it back-to-back wins when they take on the surging Utah Jazz who are currently in the midst of a two-game winning streak.
Read on below for a preview of this explosive NBA matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Eastern Conference showdown between the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies Betting Preview
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis
When: Tuesday, March 3, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Utah Jazz (+8) at Memphis Grizzlies (-8); total 182.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz emerged victorious in a tough and bruising defensive encounter Saturday night as they pulled off a gritty 82-75 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at EnergySolutions Arena. Trey Burke led the Jazz with 23 points as they moved to nine games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 23-35 record.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Aside from Burke’s heroics, what really propelled the Jazz to their victory against the Bucks was their stellar performance on the defensive end. Utah held Milwaukee to just 75 points on 39.2 percent shooting (29-of-74) from the field. The Jazz also forced the Bucks to commit a total of 23 turnovers, way above Milwaukee’s season average of 16.7 turnovers per game.
This renewed vigor on the defensive end has given the Jazz some fresh impetus in the second half of the season. The Jazz have ratcheted up their defensive intensity after the All-Star break, allowing only one team to score more than 82 points in five games since.
One of the main reasons behind this sudden turnaround has been the improved play of Rudy Gobert. The 22-year-old has clearly flourished in his new role as starter for the Jazz with Gobert acting as the backbone for the Utah defense. In fact, Gobert is averaging a whopping 4.0 blocks in his last six games for the Jazz.
The good news for head coach Quin Snyder is that Gobert is slowly picking up his offensive production as well. Gobert, who’s averaging just 7.1 PPG this season, scored 12 points in the Jazz’s win against the Bucks. He will need to bring that same aggressiveness on the offensive end to put some pressure on Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
It’s interesting to note, however, that Gobert has struggled mightily against the Grizzlies in his two meetings with them thus far this season. Gobert is averaging just 5.0 PPG against Memphis this campaign, shooting just 3-of-11 from the field.
The Jazz are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis finally snapped its two-game losing streak Saturday as the Grizzlies eked out a crucial 101-97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Marc Gasol starred for the Grizzlies as he scored 27 points and 11 rebounds to grab his 16th double-double of the season.
Gasol has been a vital cog to the Grizzlies’ success this season, averaging 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.76 blocks per game. With the help of Gasol, the Grizzlies were able to punish the Timberwolves underneath the basket as they outscored Minnesota 52-30 in the paint.
It has been that way all season long for Memphis, which leads the league in that department with an average of 47.1 points per game inside. The Grizzlies will have a battle in their hands, though, against a Utah side that is eighth in the NBA in points allowed inside the paint, conceding just 39.7 points per game in that area this season.
For Memphis to pull off the win against Utah, the Grizzlies will need to make sure that they limit their turnovers. The Wolves were able to hang around with the Grizzlies even with the huge disparity in offensive production inside the shaded area because of Memphis’ uncharacteristically high number of turnovers.
The Grizzlies turned the ball over 24 times against the Jazz, well above their season average of 13.1 turnovers per game. Thirteen of those 24 turnovers came from Memphis’ frontcourt duo of Zach Randolph and Gasol so the onus is on the two big men to take care of the basketball when attacking the low block.
Regardless, Gasol will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing the Jazz once again as he has wreaked havoc in Memphis’ two meetings with Utah thus far this season. Gasol is averaging 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game against the Jazz this campaign.
The Grizzlies are 8-2 SU in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Grizzlies cruise past the Jazz, 98-85.
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