Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 12/18/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Monday, December 18, 2023

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

The Memphis Grizzlies (6-18) are hitting the road to Paycom Center on Monday where they will go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8).

The Grizzlies took the court against the Rockets and took a loss by a final of 103-96 in their last contest. Memphis finished the game having earned a 40.2% field goal percentage (37 out of 92) and buried 11 of their 40 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Grizzlies buried 11 of 15 shots for a rate of 73.3%. In the matter of grabbing boards, they collected 48 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 assists in this matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In terms of the defense, Memphis allowed the other team to shoot 36.4% from the floor on 32 of 88 shooting. Houston distributed 18 dimes and had 10 steals for this contest. Additionally, Houston collected 51 rebounds (15 offensive, 36 defensive) and got 8 blocks. Houston ended up going 87.5% at the free throw line by converting 28 of their 32 attempts. They converted 11 of their 29 shots from distance. With respect to personal fouls, the Grizzlies ended up with 24 and the Rockets racked up 19 personal fouls.

Desmond Bane is one player who had an impact in the game. He accounted for 28 points on 11 of 25 shooting. He was on the court for 40 mins and snagged 13 boards. Bane finished 44.0% from the field and recorded 3 assists.

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Memphis heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 6-18 so far this season. They average 106.0 pts per game (30th in the NBA) while connecting on 43.4% from the floor. The Grizzlies are hitting 33.2% on 3-pointers (307 of 926) and 77.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Memphis is grabbing 42.0 boards per contest and has tallied 572 assists this season, which has them ranked 28th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.5 times per contest and as a squad are committing 21.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Grizzlies have forced 16.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.1 fouls. They rank 5th in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 605 surrendered for the year. The Grizzlies defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 45.7% (942 of 2,060) and they relinquish 45.8 rebounds per contest as a squad. They give up 39.5% on 3-point shots while they are 11th in the NBA in PPG allowed (112.3).

The last time they took the court, the Thunder went home victorious with a score of 118-117 when they faced the Nuggets. When talking about rebounding, Oklahoma City allowed Denver to snag 46 in total (16 offensive). They finished shooting 37.5% from distance by connecting on 12 of 32 and ended up shooting 21 out of 24 at the charity stripe (87.5%). The Thunder permitted the Nuggets to make 42 of their 93 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.2% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Thunder finished 43 out of 84 from the field which had them shooting 51.2%. Regarding three-point attempts, Oklahoma City converted 7 out of 21 tries (33.3%). They were able to convert 25 of them for a percentage of 83.3%. The Nuggets committed 22 fouls for this game which took the Thunder to the charity stripe for a total of 30 shots. They also turned it over 10 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Thunder snagged 31 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 40 in the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up being a major contributor for the Thunder in this game. Gilgeous-Alexander earned 25 points in his 37 minutes on the hardwood and added 8 assists for the game. He converted 9 out of 20 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 45.0%, and had 6 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a record of 16-8 on the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Thunder are hitting on 49.0% from the floor, which is 3rd in the league. Oklahoma City has accounted for 2,889 pts for the season (120.4 per game) and they average 41.1 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 25.3 times per game (24th in the league) and they turn it over 13.0 times per contest. The Thunder commit 20.3 fouls every game and they shoot 85.4% from the charity stripe.

The Thunder on the defensive end are ranked 13th in the league in PPG allowed with 113.6. They are forcing 16.5 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.3% from the field (3rd in the NBA). The Oklahoma City defense allows 35.5% from downtown (327 of 921) and their opponents are making 78.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 27.0 dimes and 46.8 boards per contest, which is ranked 20th and 29th in the league.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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