Memphis Grizzlies game tonight: Grizzlies at Kings Storylines, Odds, Starting Lineups, Injury Reports, Predictions for Oct. 27

Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies (3-1) head to the West coast tonight to take on the Sacramento Kings (0-3) in a matchup that features two 30+ PPG scorers through the first few games of the season.

The Grizzlies start this four-game road trip after battling the Nets on Monday in what turned out to be a historic game. The Kings come into this game looking for their first win of the young season, as they have dropped three straight against the Blazers, Clippers, and Warriors.

Let’s dive into the biggest storyline, odds, starting lineups, injury reports, and some predictions for tonight’s game.

Ja Morant, De’Aaron Fox set for electric battle between two 30+ PPG Scorers

The whole league has been put on notice by Ja Morant’s phenomenal start to the season, as he has averaged 35.3 points on 54.8% from the field (21 attempts), 60% from three (5 attempts), 7.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 33.3 minutes a contest through 4 games. These phenomenal numbers mixed with his improvement thus far defensively

A story that has flown under the radar, however, is how good De’Aaron Fox has been through the Kings’ first three games. He’s averaging 31.7 points on 59.4% from the field (21 attempts), 45% from three (6.7 attempts), 7.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 34.7 minutes a night.

Morant was always compared to Fox during the first two seasons of his career, so I suspect he had this one circled on the schedule to show where he now ranks amongst point guards in the league.

Expect this one to be a super-fun battle between the two most athletic point guards in the NBA.

Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings Odds, Spread, Over/Under

At FanDuel, the Grizzlies are 3.5-point favorites against the Kings (-3.5, -108). The Grizzlies’ money line is -170. The over/under set for this matchup is a total of 237 points.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Memphis Grizzlies Injury Report for October 27

Grizzlies

  • John Konchar – Questionable (LT Shoulder Soreness)
  • Danny Green – Out (LT Knee Surgery Recovery)
  • Jaren Jackson Jr. – Out (RT Foot Surgery Recovery)
  • Ziaire Williams – Out (RT Patellar Tendinitis)

Kings

No injuries to report.

Memphis Grizzlies Starting Lineup at Sacramento Kings

The Grizzlies starting lineup will almost certainly look the same as it did against the Nets Monday night:

  • PG – Ja Morant
  • SG – Desmond Bane
  • SF – Dillon Brooks
  • PF – Santi Aldama
  • C – Steven Adams

Here’s the lineup you’ll probably see from the Kings:

  • PG – De’Aaron Fox
  • SG – Kevin Huerter
  • SF – KZ Okpala
  • PF –  Harrison Barnes
  • C – Domantas Sabonis

Okpala has gotten the start for the Kings in all three of their games, but expect impressive rookie Keegan Murray to play significantly more minutes against Memphis.

Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings Prediction for Oct. 27

The Grizzlies have played well against the Kings in recent years, as they are 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.

Desmond Bane has also had tons of success in Sacramento, as last year he averaged 26 points on 57% shooting from the field and 72.7% from three on 5.5 three-point attempts per game in the two contests on the road.

I expect his success to continue fresh off of his career-high night against Brooklyn and the Grizzlies’ success to continue as well. The Kings are a much better team than they have been in recent years, so I can see it being close at halftime. Eventually, expect their lack of a rim protector to catch up to them, and be ready for another big night from one of the best backcourts in the league in Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.

Prediction: Memphis 127, Sacramento 117

What channel will the Memphis Grizzlies game be on?

The Grizzlies game will air on Bally Sports Southeast, with the pregame coverage starting at 8:30 CT and the game scheduled to start at 9:00 CT.

When is the next Memphis Grizzlies game?

The Memphis Grizzlies will be on the road for their next four games, and all four will be at a later time than we are used to since they are on the West coast. Here’s what the full road trip will look like for the Grizzlies:

  • Oct. 29 at Utah Jazz (8:00 CT start time)
  • Oct. 31 at Utah Jazz (8:00 CT start time)
  • Nov. 2 at Portland Trail Blazers (9:00 CT start time)