| Teams/Spread | Moneyline Odds | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Grizzlies: +6 (-110) | +215 | Over 233.5 (-110) |
| Trail Blazers: -6 (-110) | -255 | Under 233.5 (-110) |
For the first time ever, we’ll have a play-in tournament to determine the final team in the Western Conference playoffs. The Portland Trail Blazers picked up a thrilling one-point victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night to officially clinch the No. 8 spot and secure a date with the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Because Portland is No. 8, the Blazers will have to beat Memphis just once to advance to the first round of the postseason, where they would face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, would have to beat Portland twice to leapfrog the Blazers and get into the playoffs.
Portland and Memphis will square off on Saturday night. If Memphis wins, the two will do battle once more on Sunday in a game with everything on the line. The Trail Blazers open as six-point favorites for Saturday’s contest in a game with a 233.5 over/under.
Grizzlies Limping Across Finish Line
All the Grizzlies had to do on Thursday was beat the Bucks and secure a spot in the play-in. They did just that, disposing of a shorthanded Milwaukee team playing without the suspended Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, Memphis’ road to this point hasn’t been easy. The Grizzlies began the seeding schedule well ahead of the field in the No. 8 spot, but Memphis has gone just 2-6 since bubble play began. The Grizzlies also lost a young star in Jaren Jackson Jr., who will sit out the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus.
Jackson’s absence means Ja Morant will have even more on his plate. The rookie was solid in Thursday’s must-win against the Bucks, finishing with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in 34 minutes of work. Memphis also got a stellar performance out of Dillon Brooks, who led the way with 31 points on blistering 12-for-18 shooting from the field. Jonas Valanciunas matched Morant with a triple-double of his own, piling up 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists.
These two teams met in the first game of each team’s seeding schedule back on July 31. It turned into an overtime thriller that Portland won 140-135.
Dame Time?
Damian Lillard put 42 points on the board in Thursday’s huge win over the Nets, which pushed his season scoring average to exactly 30 points per game. Lillard has now scored a total of 154 points in just the last three games alone, and it would be a massive surprise at this point if he didn’t take home the honors for MVP of the seeding games.
The Blazers have underperformed expectations all season long, but they did just enough after the restart to nab the No. 8 spot. Portland went 6-2 during the seeding games, with the lone defeats being a close loss to Boston and a brutal choke job against the LA Clippers.
Dame got the last laugh 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OCxE0l9Bbh
— ESPN (@espn) August 14, 2020
Portland can score, but their leaky defense will likely make them fodder for the Lakers if they do wind up advancing past the Grizz. The Blazers have allowed 111.8 points per 100 possessions, which is the fourth-worst mark in basketball. Only the Hawks, Wizards, and Cavaliers have offered less defensive resistance than the Trail Blazers have in 2019-20.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA Pick
This should be a fascinating, up-tempo game between a couple of young up-and-coming teams. The Blazers are a justifiable favorite considering how both teams have played since the restart, but the Grizzlies shouldn’t be overlooked here. They have struggled in Orlando, but this has been one of the most resilient teams in basketball all year long.
Portland’s style of play leads to high-scoring games. The over has hit in 44 of the Blazers’ 74 games so far this season. Both teams scored at least 100 points in all eight of Portland’s seeding games. The combined scores from all of Portland’s games since the restart are 275, 252, 212, 240, 239, 245, 265, and 267. That’s a whole lot of points.
Defense has been scarce since the restart all around the league, and we’ve seen some massive scores as a result. Given the Blazers’ proclivity for playing high-scoring shootouts, I think the 233.5 over/under for the play-in game against the Grizzlies looks a little light. I have plenty of confidence in the over on this one. If you’re looking for another way to bet this game, I think the Grizzlies stand a strong chance of covering the six-point spread thanks to the Blazers’ aversion to defense.
Pick: Over 233.5
Odds: -110
$100 Could Win You…$190.90
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
