Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 12/11/2021

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Venue: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN

Where to watch: Bally Sports Southeast-Memphis, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest

DraftKings: Grizzlies -8

BetMGM: Grizzlies -8.5

Caesars: Grizzlies -8

Rockets: 8-17 (13th place, Western Conference)

Grizzlies: 15-11 (4th place, Western Conference)

The Houston Rockets have finally come back to Earth, and I suspect things won't get any easier in the second night of a back-to-back when they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

The Rockets had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Friday in a nine-point loss at home to the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. Just like most teams, the Rockets had no answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo with a game-high 41 points to go with 17 rebounds on 15 of 19 shooting.

Much like they've done to this point, the Rockets hung tough and covered the 9.5 points they were given. Christian Wood led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 9 of 19 shooting, while Garrison Mathews continued his strong play with a team-high 23 points and making six threes.

Houston led by five going into the fourth quarter but ran out of gas to the tune of 33-19 in favor of the Bucks. Yet after all that, the Rockets have to go on the road -- albeit a short distance -- to Memphis for a SEGABABA after using all that energy against the champs.

The Grizzlies have won five of six and are coming off a 13-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday; they were 4-point dogs against LeBron James and Anthony Davis and made it look easy.

Memphis has been able to sustain this success even without Ja Morant in the lineup. That's where Jaren Jackson Jr. has stepped in and become the reliable go-to-guy the Grizzlies have hoped for. The star big man had 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting while also grabbing five rebounds.

But the real hero for this run has been Desmond Bane. The second-year guard had 23 points on 9 of 20 shooting and also drained five 3-pointers. The lack of the long ball has always held the Grizzlies back; consistency from deep is going to go a long way in Memphis' run into the future.

You take the travel into account and how the Rockets haven't fared following straight-up losses, this should be an easy matchup for the Grizzlies. Houston is 2-6-1 ATS in its last nine following an outright loss, and this can be deemed an unfair situation after that long winning streak. Memphis provides too many mismatches defensively that will make this a rough test for the young Rockets. I like Memphis in what should be a comfortable cover. Grizzlies by 14

Betting trends

The Rockets are 19-42 ATS after a non-conference game in their last 61.

The Rockets are 1-6 ATS in their last seven in a rematch where the opponent won by 20 or more the last meeting.

The Grizzlies are 19-5 ATS in their last 24 off three straight unders.

The Grizzlies are 15-10 ATS in their last 25 when allowing 100 points or less the previous game.

PG: D.J. Augustin

SG: Eric Gordon
SF: Garrison Mathews
PF: Jae’Sean Tate
C: Christian Wood

PG: Tyus Jones

SG: Desmond Bane
SF: John Konchar
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Steven Adams

Rockets: Jalen Green (hamstring, out), Kevin Porter Jr. (out), John Wall (out), Danuel House Jr. (day-to-day)

Grizzlies: Ja Morant (knee & COVID, out), Dillon Brooks (COVID, out), Brandon Clarke (knee, out)