Hawks vs. Grizzlies Prediction and Odds for Monday, December 12 (Value on Total)
By Peter Dewey
The Memphis Grizzlies are just a game out of the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, and they are looking to extend their five-game winning streak on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Atlanta grabbed an overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night on yet another A.J. Griffin buzzer beater.
The Hawks were slight favorites in that game, but they are now huge underdogs to Memphis in the second leg of back-to-back. The Hawks won’t have Dejounte Murray or John Collins for this game due to injuries.
While Memphis is a major favorite, the Hawks finally broke a crazy streak that they were on. Atlanta had not covered in a loss dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season until it did so against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
Now, with the Hawks set as eight-point dogs to Memphis, does the streak start anew?
Here are the latest odds for this game:
Hawks vs. Grizzlies Odds, Spread and Total
Hawks vs. Grizzlies Prediction and Pick
The Grizzlies definitely deserve to be favored in this game, but I wouldn’t rush to back them at this number with Ja Morant listed as questionable.
Instead, I think there is value on the total in this game, as Atlanta should be tired on this back-to-back after going to overtime Sunday.
The Grizzlies have quietly jumped to No. 6 in the league in defensive rating, while the Hawks come into this game at No. 10 in that same statistic.
Both of these teams are known for pushing the pace and playing fun offensive games because of Morant and Trae Young, but I seriously question how much Atlanta has offensively with Murray and Collins out.
The UNDER has hit in two of Atlanta’s three games that were the second leg of a back-to-back this season, and the Grizzlies have been slightly better to the UNDER (13-12-1) than the OVER this season.
If Ja sits, I love the UNDER even more, so I’ll ride with it up at 227.5.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.