NBA: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Brooklyn Nets Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Brooklyn Nets face the Memphis Grizzlies this Monday night, trying to end their negative streak at Barclays Center. For the moment, the top contenders for winning the NBA title lost three in a row, which is something we didn’t expect to see. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are in good form once again, posting several triumphs and indicating that they aren’t just another team in the West but a true playoff contender. Furthermore, they are one of those “could be” units that will attack the conference finals in the future.

Preview

Memphis Grizzlies (23-14, TBA) won the last four games, two on the road, against the Kings and the Suns, and two at home, beating the LA Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. The one vs. Spurs ended 118-105 in their favor and was determined in the third quarter.

During those 12 minutes, the hosts outscored the Spurs, 28-17, pulling away and afterward keeping the distance between them and the rivals. The Grizzlies had 58 rebounds, compared to 47 of the visitors, while also outscoring them in the paint, 72-48.

Ja Morant had 30 buckets with 8 assists and six boards. Tyus Jones added 18, while Desmond Bane contributed with 17. Brandon Clarke had the same number of points off the bench, but he grabbed nine rebounds and had two blocks. Steven Adams delivered a double-double, 12 pts, and 13 rebs, while Jaren Jackson Jr. had 12 and 11 boards.

Brooklyn Nets (23-11, TBA) lost back-to-back matches, both of them at home, and three in a row in Brooklyn. In between, they would defeat the Lakers and the Clippers, shorthanded with only James Harden and Patty Mills involved of all the more sounding names.

The loss to the Clippers was the most recent, 120-116. It is interesting that the Nets had an enormous advantage on the glass, recording 57 boards, compared to only 40 of the Clips. But on the other side, Steve Nash’s unit scored miserable five fast break points, while LAC had 21.

James Harden had a triple-double, but that wasn’t too big of a help for the Nets. The former NBA MVP had 34 points with 13 assists and 12 boards. Though, his shooting was not good, 3-for-11 for three and 9-for-22 FG. Kevin Durant packed 28 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, while Mills had 17 points, hitting five threes. Nic Claxton added a double-double, 13 points, and 10 rebounds.

Head to Head

We haven’t seen these two teams meeting this year. But in the 2020/21 campaign, the Grizzlies posted wins in both games. The one in Brooklyn ended 116-111 for Memphis following an OT, and the contest in Nashville was 115-110.

By the way, the Grizzlies have four consecutive wins over this rival.

Prediction

This will be an interesting game for watching. We expect lots of attractive moves and plays because that is the way these units play. Iso game, pick and rolls, with dunks and stuff. As for the prediction, we are leaning towards the Nets, despite Memphis’ very good form. Simply, we can’t believe that the top contenders for the title will lose four in a row at home, regardless of the rivals.

Pick: Nets win