Play-In Game Predictions & Odds: Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers


The NBA 2020 postseason will begin on Saturday August 15, 2020 when the league produces its first inaugural play-in game.

The No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers will meet the No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday from the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida.

If the Trail Blazers win on Saturday, they’ll advance to the 2020 NBA Playoffs and meet the No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. If the Grizzlies win, then the pair will meet again on Sunday and whoever wins that game will play Los Angeles on Tuesday in Game 1.

Betting Resources

Betting Odds - Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers

Portland opened as a seven-point favorite over Memphis for Saturday's NBA Play-In Game while the total was sent out at 231.5

The early action came in on the underdog and most books have the Trail Blazers listed as six-point favorites while the total has been pushed up a point to 232.5.

Be sure to follow all the line movements.

Point-Spread Odds

  • Trail Blazers -6
  • Grizzlies +6

Money-Line Odds

  • Trail Blazers -300 (Bet $100 to win $33)
  • Grizzlies +250 (Bet $100 to win $250)

Total Odds

  • Over 233.5
  • Under 233.5

Inside the Betting Stats

(Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS)

Overall

  • Portland: 35-39 SU, 32-40-2 ATS
  • Memphis: 34-39 SU, 36-36-1 ATS

Bubble

  • Portland: 6-2 SU, 5-2-1 ATS
  • Memphis: 2-6 SU, 2-6 ATS

The Grizzlies started the bubble as the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, but needed a victory in their eighth and final game against the Bucks just to qualify for the play-in series. Memphis lost four games by nine points or more, while two of the bubble defeats came to teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention (New Orleans and San Antonio).

Blazers' guard Damian Lillard is already an All-Star guard, but he ascended towards superstar status since the NBA restart. Lillard helped carry Portland to six victories, including the 134-133 triumph over Brooklyn in the regular season finale to guarantee a spot in the play-in series..

Lillard scored 42 points against the Nets, which was his fourth-highest scoring game in the bubble. The eye-opening performance by Lillard came in a 61-point outburst against the Mavericks on August 11 in a 134-131 win, while Portland cashed the OVER in seven of eight games.


Blazers' guard Damian Lillard has scored at least 40 points four times since the NBA restart. (AP)

Grizzlies vs. Blazers Head-to-Head

2019-20 Regular Season

July 31, 2020: Portland 140 (-3.5) vs. Memphis 135, Over 225
Feb. 12, 2020: Memphis 111 (-3.5) vs. Portland 104, Under 235

The Grizzlies took care of the Blazers in the only matchup prior to the restart at FedEx Forum. In the final game before the All-Star break, Memphis beat Portland, 111-104 behind Brandon Clarke's 27 points off the bench.

The rest of the Grizzlies struggled from the floor, as the starting backcourt duo of Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks combined to shoot 13-of-39 from the floor for 31 points. Portland was limited to 37% shooting, while Lillard was held to 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting.

Portland and Memphis tipped off play in the bubble in late July in one of the most entertaining games of the restart. The Blazers built a 68-60 halftime lead and jumped out to a 13-point third quarter advantage before the Grizzlies outscored Portland, 30-6 in an eight-minute span to go ahead to start the fourth quarter.

Memphis led 112-103 with under six minutes remaining in regulation, but Portland rallied back behind a pair of Carmelo Anthony three-pointers in the final two minutes to force overtime. The Blazers scored the first 11 points in the extra session and held on for the 140-135 victory and cover as 3.5-point favorites.

Over-Under Total Notes

Totals Report

Overall

  • Portland: 43-30-1 O/U
  • Memphis: 32-40-1 O/U

Bubble

  • Portland: 7-1 O/U
  • Memphis: 2-6 O/U

When it comes to betting NBA totals, this pair couldn’t be further apart.

The Trail Blazers enter Saturday’s matchup on a 5-0 run to the ‘over’ and seven of their eight games in the NBA Bubble have gone to the high side. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering Portland is averaging a league-best 126 points per game in Orlando. However, the defense has been terrible as the unit has allowed 123.4 PPG.

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Memphis is definitely the better defensive team (113.6 PPG) but the Grizzlies have a negative point-differential since it entered the bubble. The offense is just averaging 112.6 PPG but its best effort did come in a loss against Portland.

In their first encounter on July 31 from the NBA Bubble, the total closed at 224 ½ and today's number is almost 10 points higher. If you're buying the 'playoff-like' atmosphere, then a strong case for an 'under' lean could be made.

Key Injuries

The Blazers are healthy heading into the play-in series, but the Grizzlies are without their second-leading scorer, Jaren Jackson, Jr. The former Michigan State standout sustained a knee injury in the third game of the restart against the Pelicans and is sidelined for the rest of the season. Jackson, Jr. averaged 25.3 points per game in the three restart contests and finished less than a point behind Morant for the team lead in points per game.

Game 1 Best Bet Pick

The task is tough for Memphis, who needs to win two games to advance to the playoffs. However, Portland only needs one win to move onto the first round to face the Lakers. The Blazers and Grizzlies went through a back-and-forth affair two weeks ago in the bubble restart, but the loss of Jackson hurts Memphis. Lillard is unstoppable right now and Memphis has failed to cover in all six bubble losses.

Prediction: Blazers 124, Grizzlies 107