NBA Basketball: Memphis Grizzlies VS Philadelphia 76ers Pick and Predictions 02/23/2023

Game: 7:30 PM ET,  Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

Venue:  Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV:  TNT

Grizzlies: 35-22, 2nd place Western Conference

76ers: 38-19, 3rd place Eastern Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: 76ers -4.5, O/U 229.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: 76ers -4, O/U 228.5

Fanduel: Point Spread:  76ers -4, O/U 228.5

Grizzlies: PG Ja Morant, SG Desmond Bane, SF Dillon Brooks, PF Jaren Jackson Jr, C Steven Adams

76ers: PG James Harden, SG De’Anthony Melton, SF Tobias Harris, PF PJ Tucker, C Joel Embiid

The first big game back from the NBA All-Star break.  #2 in the West will be taking on #3 in the East. No one reasonably believes this is a Finals preview, but there is a chance it could be.  “So you’re saying there's a chance?”  The Grizzlies are a good team that suffered a losing streak in late January and early February.  They have since begun to right the ship.  The result is a team that sits in 2nd place while knowing full well they should be in first place.  They have a growing fear of what is behind them… the Suns, the Clippers, and the Mavs made improvements to their respective squads at the trade deadline which will make the rest of the regular season much harder to navigate.. And the Western Conference playoffs will look like a murderers row. But still the Grizzlies have their own powerful roster led by a superstar with enviable depth.  The Philadelphia 76ers did not make any wild moves at the deadline either. They still feature a potential MVP and a future Hall of Famer in the starting lineup with a fair amount of help coming off the bench.  However they are the team that has fallen short of great expectations for several seasons running.  The All-Star break featured players from both these squads.. And gave much needed rest to everybody else.  The great betting opportunity here will be in finding out if the numbers can predict who will hit the ground running when play resumes.  

The Memphis Grizzlies have won only 4 of their last 10 games leading into the break.  They had some injury issues and some games missed from Dillon Brooks for suspension.  They however did win their last game over the Utah Jazz 117-111… but still lost ATS.  During the last 10 games the Grizz were only 3-7 ATS.  Not a safe bet for such a deep roster.  In the win over Utah the Grizz got points & 9 rebounds from PF Jaren Jackson Jr, …24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists from SG Desmond Bane, and 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists from star PG Ja Morant.  Big numbers from those three players is a very reliable formula for winning Grizzlies basketball.  C Steven Adams did not play for a couple games leading up the the all-star break but will be back when play resumes.

The Philadelphia 76ers have won 7 of their last 10 games and were on a 4-game winning streak leading up to the All-Star break. C Joel Embiid was on a roll of big game after big game. They won their last game over the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-112 for a win ATS.  They went 7-3 ATS during that stretch.  In the win over the Cavaliers C Joel Embiid had 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists with 1 blocked shot and 2 steals.  He was everywhere doing everything.. Which seems to be a constant for the 76ers.  This may be Joel’s best chance at finally landing an MVP trophy as voters often get worn out on giving it to the same guy year after year (please see the combined 6 MVPs that Jordan and LeBron SHOULD HAVE won that were given away to somebody else)... However the roadblock is of course C Nikola Jokic, of the Nuggets, having an even better year than the last two when he won the MVP both times.

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The Grizzlies are 9th in scoring with 116.1 points per game, and 2nd in rebounds with 47.7 per game.  On defense they rank 8th while holding opponents to  112.2 points per game.  The +4 points per game has them on a winning track.

The 76ers are 16th in scoring with 114.4 points per game, and 28th in rebounds with 40.5 per game. On defense they rank 3rd while stifling opponents to 110.5 points per game. Also at +4 points a game.  The 76ers are a defensive powerhouse and they have PG James Harden leading the league in assists. While they are only average in scoring the added FG% of Embiid keeps them in the win column.

Our prediction for Thursday, February 23rd is…. Grizzlies 118 - 76ers 110

Bet on the Grizzlies.  The 76ers and Grizzlies are top defensive teams and when they go head to head you expect a battle.  The difference here will be that Desmond and Morant can score in a variety of ways both shooting 3’s and driving the lane… whereas Harden and Melton tend to hang beyond the arc to give Embiid room to work.

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(will update)

Grizzlies: SG Desmond Bane.  Desmond is the key to this whole Memohis experiment working.. While Ja is the star and Jaren Jackson Jr is the defensive forward down low… The way this team has a chance to be a new Golden State is found in Desmond scoring the way Klay Thompson did/does.  In his 3rd season, Desmond is averaging 21.5 ppg while shooting 42.7% from 3-point range. He gets his shot up quick and takes it freely.

76ers: SG De’Anthony Melton.  He was a Grizzly for 3 seasons and wound up in Philadelphia because he will never get a starting spot on the same roster with Desmond Bane.  In an odd twist of fate Melton joining the 76ers (in the off-season) displaced Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey who is one of the best defenders in the league.  (everyone is interconnected in some way) Melton is averaging just 10.7 ppg, with 4.2 rpg, and 2.7 apg… It is hard to have big numbers playing next to James Harden with Joel Embiid as your center.  He is starting and getting 28.5 minutes per game and shooting 40.1% from 3-point.  He averaged 0.10 more points last season while playing 6 more minutes a game in Memphis.  He needs to be more assertive.

Grizzlies: Taylor “No one has ever heard of me?!” Jenkins

76ers: Doc “I’m related to the Currys through marriage” Rivers