29.03.2023

Los Angeles Clippers @ Memphis Grizzlies Game Preview and Pick

The Grizzlies have had quite the busy second half of the season when it comes to distractions, but that has not seemed to slow them down, as they have won seven straight games. Memphis will look to remain in the win column tonight as they host the Clippers, and we’ll preview the game before going over my play for the action.

Game Preview

The middle of the Western Conference standings is a logjam, and the LA Clippers are right in the thick of it. After going 7-3 in their last ten games, the Clippers sit in fifth place and just one game behind the Suns in the loss column. Only two teams have clinched playoff spots in the West so far, so the importance of every game is growing when it comes to seeding.

Los Angeles will enter tonight off a 124-112 win over the Bulls on Monday night, a game in which they shot 59% from the field and 50% from three. Those impressive shooting numbers have been common for LA over their past ten games and are a big reason why they rank 6th in the league in offensive efficiency rating in that span.

Defensively, the Clippers have shown flashes of lockdown ability over the past ten games, but it has only come out half the time. LA has held five of their last ten opponents to 105 points or less, but they have also allowed 126 or more points in three of those games. That inconsistency has them ranked 13th in defensive efficiency rating. They will have their work cut out for them tonight against a Grizzlies team with the best offensive efficiency rating in the league over the previous ten games.

In that span, Memphis has gone 9-1, and as previously mentioned, they are in the midst of a seven-game win streak. Their most recent win came last night at home, as they took down the Orlando Magic 113-108. The Grizzlies shot 48% from the field in the win, and over this recent ten-game period, they have the best effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage in the league.

Pick for the Game

The Grizzlies are currently listed at (-4) point favorites, but I’ll be targeting their first-half spread of (-2) for my play in this one. Memphis has been the second most profitable 1H ATS team in the league this season, with an ROI of 18.64%. Over the last ten home games, the Grizzlies are also 8-2 ATS in the 1H. The Clippers are a different story, as they are 29-47 ATS in the 1H, the worst record in the league.

Memphis has been playing at an impressively high level as of late, and they are establishing themselves on both ends of the floor straight from tip-off. In the previous ten games, the Grizzlies have a 1H NET rating of (8.8), which ranks 6th in the league. Despite their 7-3 record in that span, the Clippers have a 1H NET rating of (-.6), ranking them 16th.

The Clippers' offense has been playing well recently, but they have managed to put up those numbers despite incredibly slow starts on that end of the floor. LA is 24th in 1H offensive efficiency rating at 110.9, but Memphis, on the other hand, is third with a 120.9 offensive rating. Overall I like the momentum the Grizzlies have been playing with recently, and I think that carries into the first half today.