Pelicans vs. Grizzlies Prediction
Anthony Davis made his return from injury last night in a Pelicans victory, but he was booed by his home crowd in the process. He won’t have that problem tonight when the Pels visit the Grizzlies at 8:00 p.m. ET. Will struggling Memphis cover as a small home favorite?
Game Snapshot
525 New Orleans Pelicans at 526 Memphis Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, February 9, 2019
FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Grizzlies are 3-point favorites to beat the Pelicans. The total, meanwhile, sits at 213 points and as of this writing, 51% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Pelicans to cover the point spread.
New Orleans Pelicans Fantasy Spin
Anthony Davis was benched in the fourth quarter in his return during a 122-117 win over the Wolves on Friday, scoring 32 points with nine rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two turnovers in just 25 minutes. After matching his season-best 24 points in the first half and adding eight more in the third, coach Alvin Gentry decided to keep AD glued to the bench for the fourth in this tight game. The New Orleans crowd booed him when he touched the ball to start the game, but Davis said it was fun for him and the fans were chanting to put him back in the game during the fourth. After the game on the ESPN broadcast, he said his teammates wanted him to play and Davis said that he was just happy to go out there and play basketball. When asked about back-to-back sets, he said that the media should talk to the coaching staff, which suggests that he is probably not going to play on Saturday. When asked about talking to his teammates about the situation, he said there was “zero” talk about it. It’s going to be a weird situation, but AD is such a beast that he will be a first-round player even with minutes in the 20s. Prepare for some headaches, though.
Memphis Grizzlies Fantasy Spin
Jaren Jackson Jr. was a bright spot in the Grizzlies lopsided loss on Thursday, making 12-of-18 shots for 27 points with seven rebounds, two steals and one 3-pointer. JJJ has averaged 36 minutes without Marc Gasol, so this is a perfect time to note that without Gasol in the lineup his per-36 averages are 18.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 dimes, 1.3 steals, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 threes. He’s going to crush rest-of-season, in other words, and the arrival of Jonas Valanciunas isn’t a concern. He was already a top-75 roto value and should push for top-40 in the final months of the season.
NBA Betting Trends
New Orleans
The Pelicans are 18-8 against the spread in their last 26 road games when facing an opponent with a losing home record.
Memphis
The Grizzlies are 17-36 against the number in their last 53 games coming off a loss of more than 10 points.
Prediction
I don’t trust either of these teams as far as I can throw them, so I’m looking at the total tonight. The under is a perfect 5-0 in the last five meetings between these two teams in Memphis and has cashed in seven of the last nine meetings overall. The under is also 5-2 in the Pelicans’ last seven games versus the Southwest, is 5-1 in the Grizzlies’ last six games overall and cashed in seven straight Memphis games when it faces an opponent with a losing record.
Saturday NBA Prediction: Pelicans/Grizzlies under 213