The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies is supposed to be a marquee Saturday matchup of two of the NBA’s most exciting young superstars, but this time around that’s not the case. Ja Morant is currently suspended by the team because he can’t go anywhere without a gun and Luka Doncic is simply injured. Even Kyrie Irving is questionable for this one, so that takes some of the excitement out of this matchup.
Maybe that means we just need to add a little excitement of our own with a responsible wager. Let’s check out the odds.
Mavericks vs. Grizzlies odds, spread and total
Mavericks vs. Grizzlies prediction and pick
The Grizzlies keep falling back in the Western Conference, but they did beat Golden State their last time out, so they have some momentum. Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones combined for 43 points in the Grizzlies backcourt on Thursday, so offensively they’ve suffered some without Morant, but if Jones plays that way they can keep themselves afloat.
They’ll have a chance for another offensive outpouring tonight against Dallas. The Mavericks really sold out to try and create an offensive juggernaut with Kyrie Irving, but they gave up a lot of defensive players to do so. In their last 10 games, they’re 26th in the NBA in defensive rating. Their net rating is actually even over that stretch because of how efficient they are on offense. That efficiency won’t be there without Luka today, but the defensive struggles will remain.
The Mavericks are 1-5 against the spread in their last six games and I think they’ll continue to struggle against Memphis tonight.
Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change