Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Blazers Prediction, 4/23/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Blazers

Date: Friday, April 23, 2021

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: NBC Sports Northwest

Odds/Point Spread: Memphis (+3.5)

Moda Center is the venue where and the Portland Blazers (32-26) will play the Memphis Grizzlies (29-28) on Friday. Memphis opens this game as 3.5-point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 233.5.

The Memphis Grizzlies faced off with the Los Angeles Clippers and ended up losing by a score of 117-105 in their last game. Memphis finished the contest with a 45.2% FG percentage (38 out of 84) and converted 13 of 30 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Grizzlies knocked down 16 of 23 shots for a percentage of 69.6%. In reference to pulling down boards, they compiled 42 with 11 of them being offensive. They also dished out 19 assists in this game while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to the defense, Memphis let their opponent shoot 45.2% from the floor on 38 out of 84 shooting. Los Angeles recorded 28 dimes and had 4 steals in the matchup. Moreover, Los Angeles collected 43 boards (10 offensive, 33 defensive) and added 8 blocks. Los Angeles ended up shooting 75.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 27 of 36 shots. They also buried 14 of their 27 shots from distance.

Ja Morant is someone who was a major contributor in the game. He notched 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 31:24 minutes and also totaled 6 rebounds. Morant ended up shooting 60.0% from the floor and dished out 4 assists. One more player that had an impact in the matchup for the Grizzlies was Kyle Anderson. He grabbed 3 rebounds in his 24:16 minutes on the hardwood. He finished 44.4% from the floor for the contest by shooting 4-of-9 (12 points). When all was said and done, Anderson had 1 assist.

Memphis will enter this game with a mark of 29-28 this season. The Grizzlies are hitting 36.2% on shots from beyond the arc (641 of 1,769) and 77.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 113.6 points per outing (13th in the NBA) while hitting 46.9% from the field. They lose possession via turnover 13.2 times per contest and as a unit they commit 18.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Memphis is grabbing 46.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 1,543 assists for the season, which is 8th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. When they are on defense, the Grizzlies have forced 15.4 turnovers per game while drawing 18.1 fouls. They currently rank 19th in the league in giving up assists with 1,469 conceded for the campaign. The Grizzlies are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.7% (879 of 1,029) and they surrender 44.4 rebounds per contest as a team. They give up 36.5% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 18th in the NBA in opponents points per game (112.3).

The last time they took the court, the Portland Blazers took a loss by a final score of 106-105 when they faced the Denver Nuggets. The Blazers recorded 32 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 41 for the matchup. They also gave up possession 11 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. The Nuggets earned 16 personal fouls for this contest which took the Blazers to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They were able to make 13 of the free throw tries for a rate of 86.7%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the arc, Portland knocked down 12 of 36 attempts (33.3%). Overall, the Blazers finished the game shooting 40 out of 87 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.0%. The Blazers allowed the Nuggets to make 39 out of 88 attempts from the field which had them shooting 44.3% in this contest. They wrapped up this game 33.3% from distance by shooting 13 out of 39 and ended up going 15 out of 17 from the free throw line (88.2%). When discussing cleaning the glass, Portland permitted Denver to snag 46 in all (16 on the offensive side).

Damian Lillard ended up being a major contributor for the Blazers in the game. He converted 9 of 23 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 39.1%, and totaled 4 rebounds. Lillard recorded 22 points in his 37:15 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 5 dimes in this matchup. An additional guy that ended being a contributor for Portland was Norman Powell. He finished with 2 assists in 34:20 minutes on the court, and he knocked down 4 of 10 from the floor. Powell ended up shooting 40.0% from the floor while also earning 17 points and 2 rebounds.

Portland has a mark of 32-26 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Blazers are connecting on 44.6% from the field, which has them ranked 26th in the league. Portland has accounted for 6,620 pts this year (114.1 per contest) and they collect 43.8 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 20.5 times per game (30th in the NBA) and they lose possession via turnover 11.3 times per game. The Blazers commit 19.1 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 82.4% from the free throw line. The Blazers on the defensive side of the court are 25th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 114.5. The Portland defense surrenders 37.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (746 of 2,013) and their opponents are making 77.6% of their foul shots. They relinquish 25.2 assists and 45.7 total rebounds per game, which is 18th and 21st in the league. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 47.8% from the floor (26th in basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Portland (-3.5)

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