New Orleans Hornets at Memphis Grizzlies
FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Sunday, April 10, 2011, 6:05 pm Eastern, TV: CST, SportsSouth, NBA League Pass
Opening Line: Grizzlies -6
Current Line: Grizzlies -4 1/2
Opening Total: 186 1/2
Current Total: 185 1/2
Money Line: MEM -180 / NOH +150
Right now with most teams having 3 games to play, only San Antonio is locked into their spot. Positions 2-8 are still up for grabs. Only a game and a half separates #6 seed Portland from 8th seed Memphis, so any of the three could move up or down. New Orleans is a game ahead of Memphis with a 46-33 record for the seventh spot. A loss for for the 45-34 Grizzlies would lock them into the 8th spot as they would be 2 games down with just 2 to play. The Hornets would hold the tiebreaker having one 3 of the 4 match-ups this season against the Grizzlies. However, if the Grizzlies win tonight they would be tied for 7th and the season series would be tied.
New Orleans leads the season series 2-1 so far against Memphis. The Hornets won January 19 in New Orleans 103-102 in overtime and 98-91 at Memphis March 4. The Grizzlies won 93-81 April 1 in New Orleans. The Hornets have won three straight since then including a 109-97 home victory over phoenix Friday. They have games left at home versus Utah and at Dallas after tonight’s game. The Grizzlies have gone 8-2 int heir last 10 games. They have games at Portland and the L.A. Clippers after this.
New Orleans is 7-4 straight up against Memphis the last 3 seasons but Memphis is 6-4-1 ATS in those games. The over is 6-5 in those games. The Hornets are 15-31 ATS in road games avenging a loss in the last 3 seasons. The Hornets are 54-81 ATS versus teams averaging 99 points a game or more the last 3 seasons. The Grizzlies are 50-28 ATS in all games this season, including 25-14 at home, and 27-13 against teams with winning records.
Hornets Forward David West is out for the season with a knee injury. He was the team’s leading scorer with 18.9 points a game. He also averaged 7.6 rebounds. All-Star Point Guard Chris Paul averages 16.2 points, and leads the team in assists with 9.9 and steals with 2.4 a game. Emeka Okafor leads the team in rebounds with 9.6 a game and blocks with 1.8 a game, and scores 10.5 points a game. Carl Landry (12.3), Trevor Arizan (11.2) and Marco Belinelli (10.3) also score in double digit figures. The Hornets are outscoring opponents 95-94 on the season. New Orleans shoots 46.1% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range. Hornet opponents are shooting 45.3% from the field. The Hornets shoot 76.8% from the free throw line. New Orleans averages 40.3 rebounds a game and has a rebounding margin of +0.9. They average 20.6 assists and 13 turnovers a game. The Hornets force 14.5 turnovers a game on defense. New Orleans average 7.6 steals and 4.5 blocks a game.
Memphis forward Rudy Gay is out for the season with a shoulder injury. He averaged 19.8 points a game. Grizzly guards Xavier Henry (knee) and Jason Williams (back) are both out indefinitely. Power Forward Zach Randolph leads the team in scoring with 20.1 points and rebounds with 12.3 a game. Point guard Mike Conley averages 13.8 points, and leads the team in assists with 6.6 a game. Center Marc Gasol averages 11.7 points a game and leads the team in blocks with 1.7 a game. O.J. Mayo scores 11.2 points a game. Tony Allen leads the team in steals with 1.8 a game. The Grizzlies are outscoring opponents 100-98 on the season. They are shooting 47% from the field and 32.8% from 3-point range. Memphis opponents are shooting 45.7% from the field. The Grizzlies make 75% of their free throws. Memphis averages 41 rebounds a game and has a rebounding margin of +0.8. The Grizzlies average 20.6 assists and 13.9 turnovers a game. They force 16.8 turnovers a game on defense. Memphis averages 9.5 steals and 5.4 blocks a game.
The injuries to West and Gay will certainly hurt these team’s chances in the playoffs but either of these teams could challenge the Spurs or Lakers in the first round. I think Memphis wins this game and covers as well.
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