Spurs vs. Grizzlies Spread Prediction The Memphis Grizzlies have dropped eight of their last 10 games and have been putrid at the betting window over that same span. That said, do they still have some value as a home dog Wednesday night versus the visiting San Antonio Spurs? Game Snapshot 525 San Antonio Spurs at 526 Memphis Grizzlies 8:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, January 9, 2019 FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line. Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Spurs are 3-point favorites to beat the Grizzlies. The total, meanwhile, sits at 203 points and as of this writing, 71% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Spurs to cover the point spread. San Antonio Spurs Fantasy Spin DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Spurs Monday vs. the Pistons, finishing the win with 26 points (12-of-21 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in 34 minutes. Two days after scoring 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field DeRozan bounced back in a big way Monday night in Detroit. At one point in the fourth quarter the All-Star guard made six consecutive shots, and this effort ends a run of four consecutive games in which he shot below 50% from the field. DeRozan is now shooting 47.4% from the field on the season while averaging 22.6 points per game. Memphis Grizzlies Fantasy Spin Dillon Brooks (toe) is listed as out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs with a sore right toe. He was out on Monday, as well, and he's also wearing a walking boot as a precaution. Despite Brooks' absence on Monday, Justin Holiday managed just four points on four free throws. NBA Betting Trends San Antonio The Spurs are 15-5-1 against the spread in their last 21 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Memphis The Grizzlies are 3-13 against the number in their last 16 games playing on one day of rest. Prediction The road team is 5-1-1 against the number in the last seven meetings between these two teams while the favorite is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight games in this series. The Spurs have been profitable when playing the Grizzlies, going 5-2-1 at the betting window in their last eight games against Memphis. The Spurs are 11-1 against the spread in their last 12 games playing on only one day of rest, are 4-1-1 against the number in their last six road games and are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall. Given the Grizzlies’ struggles (0-6 ATS in their last six home games as well as being just 5-18 ATS in their last 23 games overall), the Spurs look like a safe road favorite here. Wednesday NBA Prediction: San Antonio Spurs -3<doc-sep>As he waited to check in and close the game, Mike Conley pumped his fist and broke out in a smile that said it all. His fellow franchise cornerstone, Marc Gasol, had just hit a 3-pointer to put the Grizzlies up by 14 midway through the fourth quarter as Gasol returned to his early-season form for a night. The man Conley was checking in for, Shelvin Mack, also returned to his early-season form. Collectively, the Grizzlies did, too, in a 96-86 win over the visiting San Antonio Spurs at the FedExForum. The Grizzlies snapped a six-game losing streak with the formula that buoyed them to a 12-5 start in November: stifling defense, an energetic Gasol and a productive bench. In the process, they snapped, San Antonio's five-game winning streak. See how the Grizzlies stack up:NBA Western Conference standings Big names: Marc Gasol looked more energetic and explosive than he has in weeks. Playing against his brother, Pau, Marc had a double-double before halftime. He finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds in 37 minutes. "We played with a huge sense of urgency," Marc Gasol said. Notable: San Antonio's Davis Bertans left for the showers after picking up his second technical foul in the third quarter. It was one of several terse moments between the Spurs and the officiating crew. Shelvin Mack played backup point guard over rookie Jevon Carter after Carter held the role for a couple of games. Mack posted a +12 rating with 10 points and seven assists in 16 minutes. Quotable: "You can see in his body language that he's down. But he's the type of kid that never really gets discouraged. When you put obstacles in front of him, he's the type of kid that overcomes those obstacles and uses it as motivation. When he is back, expect him to be even better than before." - Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff on second-year wing Dillon Brooks, who is likely out for the season because of a ruptured ligament in his right big toe. Up next: The Grizzlies play at Miami on Saturday (4 p.m. Fox Sports Southeast). The Heat won the first meeting 100-97 on Dec. 14 without Dwyane Wade in the lineup. TV/Radio: Fox Sports Southeast/92.9-FM Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @DavidWCobb. GRIZZLIES NEWS:Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks likely out for season with toe injury GRIZZLIES ROSTER:Why Justin Holiday is excited to be with Memphis Grizzlies GRIZZLIES Q&A:Are Memphis Grizzlies tanking? GM: 'We’ll be prepared for either eventuality.'<doc-sep>Rejoice, Memphis Grizzlies fans. For the first time since December 26th, the Grizzlies won a basketball game. Their 96-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs was not without its flaws. The Grizzlies offense was still pretty bad - 41.1% overall from the floor, an abysmal 24.2% from beyond the arc - and two players that led the charge in this win, Shelvin Mack and JaMychal Green, could theoretically take minutes away from younger players. This win could potentially be seen as “evidence” for Grizzlies Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff that they’re needed for Memphis to win. Jaren Jackson Jr. (albeit with four fouls so some foul trouble) had only 18 minutes of playing time, and Jevon Carter played zero minutes in a somewhat surprising Did Not Play - Coaches Decision. Those are certainly things to keep an eye on. But let’s let go of the critical eye on those particular issues for one report card. Memphis got a much needed win against a good opponent in San Antonio, and now they get a desperately needed extra day to rest and get ready for the next ten games, games that will almost certainly decide their season. No pressure! On to the grades. Marc Gasol - 26 points on 16 shots, 3-5 on three point shots, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, +1. Oh, hi Marc. Whether it was because he was matched up with his brother Pau, or because his parents were in town, or because he was “called out” by Tony Allen on Tuesday, or because yours truly wrote about him yesterday (I think it was the last option), Big Spain decided to go full Wendigo on the Spurs. It is a common refrain - aggressive Marc is the best Marc. He will never be this player consistently, but we must look at Gasol’s night appropriately and acknowledge what we already know - when Memphis has this level of play from Marc Gasol, they can compete with anyone. GRADE- A+ Mike Conley - 15 points on 19 shots, 0-5 from three, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, -2. It wasn’t the best night for Mike. He struggled finding his rhythm and just seemed a bit off in terms of his footing in the offense. A major reason for the poor performance for the team on this end is Conley, and it is another reminder of why this win was nice, but this style of victory is not something Memphis can sustain. If the Grizzlies are going to climb back in to the playoff picture, they need both Gasol AND Conley. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge combining to shoot 8-27 doesn’t happen all that often- if those guys make a few more buckets, that game is a lot different. Mike picked a good night to be off, though, so bonus points for that. GRADE- C- QUICK GRADES Shelvin Mack gets a B+ for being his best self. 10 points, 7 assists, 16 minutes of play to Mike Conley ’s 32? Sign me up for more of this. Mack as a backup point guard is a good asset to have. Where Shelvin gets in trouble (largely not his fault, he doesn’t make the rotation) is when he is overextended as a sixth man playing long stretches next to Mike Conley . They should be together on a limited basis - this game was evidence of that for Shelvin. 10 points, 7 assists, 16 minutes of play to ’s 32? Sign me up for more of this. Mack as a backup point guard is a good asset to have. Where Shelvin gets in trouble (largely not his fault, he doesn’t make the rotation) is when he is overextended as a sixth man playing long stretches next to . They should be together on a limited basis - this game was evidence of that for Shelvin. Kyle Anderson gets a C+ because he is finally being used right. 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, a steal...not the sexiest stat line. But Anderson impacts the game on both ends when used properly, and hot damn if J.B. Bickerstaff hasn’t started doing this offensively. More and more we see Kyle at point forward, initiating offense alongside Mike Conley instead of Shelvin Mack . This will only help the offense more moving forward - Kyle usually makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, a steal...not the sexiest stat line. But Anderson impacts the game on both ends when used properly, and hot damn if J.B. Bickerstaff hasn’t started doing this offensively. More and more we see Kyle at point forward, initiating offense alongside instead of . This will only help the offense more moving forward - Kyle usually makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. JaMychal Green gets a B+ for a solid double double. 12 points, 11 rebounds, and timely made shots that helped keep the Spurs several possessions from a lead whenever they tried to make a run. Who knows if JaMychal will still be on this team six months from now, or even six weeks post-trade deadline. While he is here, it is nice to see him being an insurance policy for when Jaren has foul issues or simply doesn’t have “it”. Jackson Jr. should have had more minutes in this game, but with Gasol and Green playing so well, it is hard to be too hard on Bickerstaff...especially considering this team continues to try to be a playoff contender and desperately needed a win. They rode the hot hand Wednesday night. The Memphis Grizzlies will be back in action on the road on Sunday afternoon for an early tip with the Miami Heat. The game starts at 4:00 PM CT. Follow @sbngrizzlies<doc-sep>It’s been a while since we had a night like this one, in which nothing goes right for the Spurs. They simply could not catch a break in Memphis and lost 96-86 to a hungry Grizzlies team that didn’t waste the opportunity to snap out of a six-game losing streak. The game was ugly from the start. It was shocking how similar the first half performance was to some of the worst from earlier in the season. It started with Gregg Popovich deciding to start Jakob Poeltl in place of the injured Rudy Gay for the second game in a row, which proved to be a mistake. The lack of spacing allow an inspired Grizzlies defense to completely defang San Antonio’s attack. The Spurs survived early on thanks to their shot-makers, who got buckets outside of the flow of the offense. Under normal circumstances the bench would have checked in and gotten things back on track, but with Pau Gasol in the rotation, the second unit was clearly figuring out how to get him back into the fold instead of just playing freely like they normally do. Not all the wounds were self-inflicted. Foul trouble for Derrick White seriously tested the Spurs’ scoring depth, which had already taken a hit with Gay’s absence. The Grizzlies also deserve plenty of credit for causing DeMar DeRozan to go 3-for-11 with three turnovers in the first two quarters. The combination of all of those factors resulted in the lowest scoring half by San Antonio this season, and certainly one of the ugliest to watch since that wretched November. The only lucky break the Spurs got is that it came against a Memphis team that simply doesn’t have the firepower to blow out opponents. Despite only scoring 31 points in the first 24 minutes San Antonio was somehow only trailing by 11 points at the break, which was nothing short of miraculous. Alas, the weirdness would continue in the second half. Pop adjusted and had Davis Bertans in for Poeltl. That new unit seemed balanced enough to make a run and change the game. Unfortunately White was quickly called for his fourth foul and Bertans was ejected after getting a second technical. Any possibility for the Spurs to regain a sense of normalcy in the second half died there. Surprisingly, there were moments amid the chaos that ensued in which they had opportunities to take control. The Gasol - Aldridge duo had some good stretches and Marco Belinelli caught fire at one point, awakening the offense, which dropped two more points in the third frame than in the entire first half. There was even a time early in the fourth in which the Spurs actually trailed by just four points. The Grizzlies didn’t panic, though. They clearly needed the win after a six-game losing streak and were not going to let it get away from them. Despite a terrible scoring night by most of their guards, they kept defending and executing on the other end, with Marc Gasol leading the way. They survived that first push and then a late one by the Spurs’ deep bench to secure the victory at home. On a night in which their opponent had a strange, often ugly, certainly poor performance, the Grizzlies deserve credit for simply being steady and closing the game well. As for the Spurs, they need to put this night behind them. There are some small lessons to learn, but on the whole this game was too strange to reveal anything truly profound about them. The Thunder wait at the AT&T Center on Thursday and a win then would make us all quickly forget about what happened the night before. Game notes The only worthwhile takeaway from this game is that it might be tougher to find a place for Pau Gasol in the rotation that previously assumed. Pop tried him out with the bench + DeRozan unit and it isn’t a fit at this point. That lineup needs a dive man who can do the dirty work to get others open and that’s not Pau. He did better on other lineups and finished with a solid seven points and 12 boards, but suddenly he feels out of place in this team. Pop will likely experiment with giving Gasol minutes while Gay is out and especially in back-to-back situations like Wednesday’s, but it’s hard to see Pau getting a stable role in the rotation. in the rotation that previously assumed. Pop tried him out with the bench + unit and it isn’t a fit at this point. That lineup needs a dive man who can do the dirty work to get others open and that’s not Pau. He did better on other lineups and finished with a solid seven points and 12 boards, but suddenly he feels out of place in this team. Pop will likely experiment with giving minutes while is out and especially in back-to-back situations like Wednesday’s, but it’s hard to see Pau getting a stable role in the rotation. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan shot 8-for-27 for the night. Aldridge at least got himself to the line, but DeMar was bad across the board on offense on Wednesday, logging four assists but also committing four turnovers. It’s tough to win when the stars struggle. and shot 8-for-27 for the night. at least got himself to the line, but DeMar was bad across the board on offense on Wednesday, logging four assists but also committing four turnovers. It’s tough to win when the stars struggle. I never thought I’d be saying this but Pop probably needs to start Dante Cunningham while Gay is out. Poeltl is better in the second unit. Bertans is a better option than anyone else, but preserving the rotations intact could be useful. The counter to those arguments is that it’s January and Pop should be experimenting, which . . . makes sense too, I guess. while is out. Poeltl is better in the second unit. Bertans is a better option than anyone else, but preserving the rotations intact could be useful.<doc-sep>
The Memphis Grizzlies were on a six game losing streak. They just lost to the San Antonio Spurs over the weekend and now have to play them again down at FedEx Forum amidst some of the biggest issues they have seen all season. The last ten days have been a roller coaster for the Grizzlies and they were looking to get back on the winning side of things for the first time in what feels like forever, against the Spurs. The Grizzlies started decent, but committed several turnovers and unforced errors within the first few minutes of the game. Mike Conley missed a wide open layup but they still led by four mid way through the first quarter. It was a defensive affair in the first quarter, with both teams playing very tight with neither team scoring above 20 until the last minute of the first quarter when Shelvin Mack hit a three on the last possession to put the Grizzlies up four at the end of the first. The second quarter started with the a run from the Grizzlies with an all bench unit on the floor. They were able to score in transition, the bench unit for this Grizzlies team is not a group of players that are able to score in the half court, but they were able to play good defense, get out in transition and push the lead to eleven mid way through he quarter. As the starters cycled back into the game throughout the second quarter, they were still able to hold the lead around seven or eight through much of the second quarter. The defense was better than it has been for a quite a while and they were able to sustain the lead going into the halftime. Marc Gasol already had a double double at the break with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. The Grizzlies lead the Spurs at halftime, 42-31. Grizzlies started the third quarter with the same defensive intensity and were able to hold the lead for the first part of the quarter, even getting under Davis Bertans skin and he got his second technical and was removed from the game. Marc Gasol came back with a strong start to the third quarter scoring 6 more points in the first half of the third quarter. The continued to keep the lead at double digits with the help of Kyle Anderson playing a lot of roles, defending, scoring, assisting, doing everything to help this team keep the lead. Marc Gasol continued his strong play and had 20 points and 10 rebounds at the end of the third, helping the Grizzlies keep a 8 point lead. An 8 point lead is not a huge lead in the NBA and the Grizzlies had to play excellent defense in the fourth to preserve it. The Grizzlies started to falter in the first part of the quarter but JaMychal Green scored five straight in the middle of the quarter to push the lead back to double digits. Marc Gasol was the difference maker tonight, he played extremely well on offense and on defense and when he plays well, the entire team plays different, everything changes. Mike Conley even had a rough night but was able to get into double figures scoring late in the game. The Grizzlies finally got a win after six straight losses over the San Antonio Spurs, 96-86. Quick Notes