Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 2/28/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets

Date: Sunday, February 28, 2021

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: Fox Sports Southeast

Odds/Point Spread: Memphis (-3)

The Memphis Grizzlies (14-15) head to Toyota Center on Sunday where they'll take on the Houston Rockets (11-20). Houston opens this game as 3-point underdogs. The total opens at 222.

The Memphis Grizzlies stepped onto the hardwood against the Los Angeles Clippers and took a loss by a score of 119-99 in their last contest. Memphis wrapped up the contest with a 40.2% FG percentage (39 out of 97) and knocked down 9 out of their 28 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Grizzlies buried 12 of 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In relation to pulling down boards, they compiled 37 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 24 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 17 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning defending, Memphis allowed their opponent to shoot 55.0% from the field on 44 of 80 shooting. Los Angeles doled out 34 dimes and had 6 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Los Angeles grabbed 47 rebounds (4 offensive, 43 defensive) and had 8 rejections. Los Angeles finished shooting 94.4% at the charity stripe by converting 17 of 18 shots. They also buried 14 of their 35 shots from three-point range.

Jonas Valanciunas is someone who was a major contributor in this matchup. He accumulated 22 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He played 32:51 mins and also grabbed 11 boards. Valanciunas shot 52.9% from the field and totaled 3 assists. Someone else that was a determining factor in the game for the Grizzlies was Ja Morant. He collected 4 rebounds in his 33:11 min on the basketball court. He went 35.0% from the field for the game by going 7-of-20 (20 points). When this game wrapped up, Morant had accumulated 5 assists.

Memphis heads into this one with a record of 14-15 for the year. The Grizzlies are hitting 35.7% on 3-pointers (315 of 883) and 78.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 110.4 pts per contest (22nd in the NBA) while shooting 46.3% from the field. They cough up possession 13.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.3 fouls every game. As a team, Memphis is collecting 44.3 boards per game and has accumulated 790 dimes on the year, which ranks 18th in the NBA in terms of passing. Defensively, the Grizzlies have forced 16.4 turnovers every game and they draw 17.7 fouls. The Grizzlies defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 47.8% (475 of 513) and they surrender 43.8 boards per game as a team. They rank 8th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 752 surrendered so far this season. They are surrendering 39.1% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 13th in the league in points per game allowed (111.7).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Houston Rockets took a defeat with a final score of 122-111 when they faced the Toronto Raptors. The Rockets collected 30 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 37 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while recording 4 steals for this game. The Raptors were called for 20 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Rockets to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of the free throws for a clip of 85.0%. When it comes to shots from beyond the arc, Houston buried 16 out of 47 tries (34.0%). When the game finished, the Rockets shot 39 for 91 from the floor which had them shooting 42.9%. The Rockets permitted the Raptors to make 40 of their 89 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 44.9% for the matchup. They finished 39.0% from 3-point land by shooting 16 out of 41 and finished the game at 26 out of 27 from the free throw line (96.3%). In the matter of rebounding, Houston allowed Toronto to snag 48 in all (11 on the offensive glass).

Victor Oladipo ended up having an impact for the Rockets in the game. He made 9 out of 21 for the contest giving him a rate of 42.9%, and totaled 5 rebounds. Oladipo scored 27 points in his 36:25 mins on the court and had 4 assists in this game. Someone else that was pivotal for Houston was John Wall. He ended up walking away with 12 dimes in 36:27 mins played, and he shot 9 of 21 from the floor. Wall ended up shooting 42.9% from the field and also earning 21 points and 2 boards.

Houston has a win-loss mark of 11-20 on the season. Houston has scored 3,369 points for the season (108.7 per game) and they grab 43.1 rebounds per contest. The Rockets commit 20.3 fouls every game and they go 75.3% from the free throw line. As an offense, the Rockets are shooting 44.3% from the field, which is 26th in basketball. They are earning an assist 22.8 times per game (25th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.7 times per game. The Rockets on the defensive side of the court are 14th in the NBA in points allowed per contest with 111.9. They are forcing their opponents into 15.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.9% from the floor (9th in the league). The Houston defense allows 36.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (378 of 1,026) and their opposition knocks down 77.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 23.0 assists and 47.9 boards per game, which ranks 4th and 28th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston (+3)

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