There are implications for the Western Conference playoff race on Tuesday night, starting with the Golden State Warriors-Memphis Grizzlies matchup.
Golden State is just 0.5 games behind the Grizzlies in the standings, and it could move up to the No. 4 or No. 5 seed depending upon how it finishes the season.
Meanwhile, Memphis lost against the Boston Celtics on Monday night and it hasn’t beaten a team over .500 since Feb. 2.
With Taylor Jenkins out, the Grizzlies are attempting to rebrand themselves over the last two weeks of the regular season, but they’re in serious danger of falling into the play-in tournament field.
This game could tell us a lot about where these teams stand heading into the playoffs. Here’s a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Western Conference showdown on Tuesday night.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Warriors Injury Report
Grizzlies Injury Report
Golden State Warriors Best NBA Prop Bet
One of my favorite plus-money props on Tuesday night is for Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, as he’s shot the ball at a high rate from 3 – on increased attempts – since returning from a short absence.
The second-year guard has made three or more shots from deep in four of his last six games, averaging 7.3 attempts per game while shooting 50.0 percent.
Memphis is just 26th in the NBA in opponent 3s made per game, so Podz could be in line for a major showing tonight.
Memphis Grizzlies Best NBA Prop Bet
If he plays on Tuesday, Morant is a solid prop target for the Grizzlies in this game.
The former All-Star has scored 24 or more points in nine of the last 10 games that he’s played in. Now, Morant has missed two of the three meetings against Golden State to this point in the season, and he finished with just nine points in his lone game against them.
However, with the Grizzlies potentially tailoring their offense more towards his strengths with Jenkins out the door, Morant is a solid bet after taking 23 and 20 shots in his first two games back in action.
Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why the Warriors are the bet to make in this matchup:
The Memphis Grizzlies have not beaten a team that is over .500 since Feb. 2, and they find themselves as home underdogs on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State is an impressive 18-4 in the 22 games that Jimmy Butler has appeared in this season, and the Warriors rank seventh in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games. The Grizzlies? Well, they clock in at 18th.
Memphis is coming off a loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday, and it could end up sitting some players on the second night of a back-to-back – especially Ja Morant who has been banged up this season.
Memphis is just 2-4 against the spread as a home underdog this season, and it’s really hard to trust this team after it fired Taylor Jenkins – a clear sign that the organization didn’t like the direction of the team with just nine games to go in the regular season.
I’ll gladly lay the points with Golden State on Tuesday night.
Pick: Warriors -5.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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