Memphis Grizzlies vs. Boston Celtics Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Nationally televised NBA action will resume with a non-conference showdown between two of the league’s hottest teams, as the Memphis Grizzlies will visit the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. Coverage begins from TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Score Prediction

Grizzlies 118, Celtics 112

Best Bets

Grizzlies +3 (-110) at DraftKings

Grizzlies vs. Celtics Predictions

After finishing eighth in the West with a record of 38-34 SU last year, Memphis briefly kept that same ball rolling with another slow start to this season, opened with a mediocre 9-10 SU and 10-9 ATS skid – with nine of those losses coming by 10+ PTS.

The Grizzlies have been the hottest team in basketball since their opening stretch though, considering Memphis enters Thursday riding an impressive 34-10 SU and 33-11 ATS run– despite getting tagged as underdogs in 15 of those contests.

On the other hand, Boston posted a similarly pedestrian start to this season, as the Celtics kicked things off with a mediocre 15-20 SU and ATS skid – with ten of those SU losses coming by double-digits.

The Celtics have recently turned things around through excellent defense though, considering Boston enters Thursday boasting records of 21-8 SU and 14-15 ATS across their last 29 games – while scoring 110.4 OPPG and allowing just 100.1 DPPG during that timeframe.

I’ll back Memphis here, as the Grizzlies are 8-2 SU and ATS in their last ten games, while scoring 123.5 OPPG and allowing just 112.3 DPPG across that window – likely presenting an uphill battle for a Celtics squad that’s scored 108 PTS or less in four of their last eight contests (114 OPPG), and lost Jaylen Brown to an ankle injury on Tuesday night.

Grizzlies vs. Celtics Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Grizzlies vs. Celtics Betting Resources

• Matchup: Southwest vs. Atlantic
• Date: Thursday, March 3, 2022
• Venue: TD Garden
• Location: Boston, MA
• TV-Time: TNT - 7:30 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

Memphis Grizzlies Betting Analysis

• SU: 43-20
• ATS: 42-21
• O/U: 33-29-1

After stumbling out to a lackluster 9-10 SU start to the season, Memphis surprisingly flew under the radar for a little while and got tagged as underdogs in seven-of-ten matchups in the early stages of December – yet quickly flipped that around with a trio of upset victories and posted a record 6-4 SU across that window.

The Grizzlies have absolutely dominated since their opening stretch though, considering the Grizzlies boast records of 34-10 SU and 33-11 ATS across their last 44 games – despite getting tagged as underdogs in roughly a third of those matchups (15).

Boston Celtics Betting Analysis

• SU: 37-27
• ATS: 32-31-1
• O/U: 27-35-2

After finishing seventh in the East with a record of 36-36 SU this year, Boston kept that same ball rolling with another mediocre start to this season, as the Celtics opened with a relatively pedestrian 15-20 SU stretch – despite getting tagged as favorites in 22 of those contests.

The Celtics have admirably flipped the script in January though, considering Boston enters Thursday riding a sturdy 21-8 SU run, while scoring 114+ PTS in 11 of those contests (110.4 OPPG) – and allowing 100 PTS or less in 16 of them (100.1 DPPG).

Grizzlies vs. Celtics Head-to-Head

The Grizzlies and Celtics split a two-game regular-season set 1-1 SU last year, with both matchups soaring over the total at an average 245.5 PPG.

Key Players to Watch

• MEM: Ja Morant - PG (27.6 PPG, 5.9 REB, 6.6 AST)
• MEM: Desmond Bane - SG (17.5 PPG, 4.4 REB, 2.6 AST)
• BOS: Jayson Tatum - SF (25.9 PPG, 8.3 REB, 4.2 AST)
• BOS: Marcus Smart - SG (11.8 PPG, 3.9 REB, 5.4 AST)

Grizzlies vs. Celtics Betting Conclusion

After posting back-to-back victories over the Bulls and Spurs, the Grizzlies hit the road for Thursday’s contest as four-point favorites over the Celtics at TD Garden – marking the first time Boston has been a home underdog since hosting Phoenix on New Year’s Eve (PHX -3.5).

I’ll back Memphis here, as the Celtics enter Thursday riding an impressive 21-8 SU stretch, while smothering their opponents to just 100.1 DPPG across that window – but I highly doubt they’ll keep pace with a Grizzlies squad that’s averaging 123.5 OPPG across their latest 8-2 ATS run, especially with Brown sidelined for Boston.

Grizzlies vs. Celtics Betting Trends

• The Grizzlies are 8-2 ATS in their last ten games.
• The Celtics are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 matchups against Memphis.
• The total has gone OVER in eight of the last 11 Grizzlies' games.
• The total has gone OVER in five of the last six Celtics' games.
• The total has gone OVER in nine of the last 12 matchups between Boston and Memphis.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson