Grizzlies Are the Hottest Team in the NBA
You couldn’t ask for a better past week for the Memphis Grizzlies, who have run their season-high win streak up to seven games. Memphis just wrapped up a five-game homestand in a big way, throttling Milwaukee 142-101 on Thursday, which, combined with two straight Pelicans losses, has moved the Grizzlies into first place in the Western Conference.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a streak too, but it’s in the opposite direction with five straight losses. The most recent defeat came 112-110 at home against Minnesota on Friday night, meaning OKC is in the back-to-back vs. the Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Let’s check the latest NBA odds, stats, injury report and NBA lines for Thunder vs Grizzlies. We’ve plenty of NBA betting odds for you to consider.
Not Many Weaknesses for Memphis
The only thing that Oklahoma City can hope for spot is that Memphis is either a) not ready for the road after playing one game away from FedExForum in December or b) looking ahead to bigger fish to fry as this road trip also features visits to Denver, Phoenix, and Golden State.
If the Grizzlies are, in fact, dialed in on Saturday night, this one could get ugly, as Milwaukee found out Thursday. Memphis went into the fourth quarter up 46 points vs. the Bucks, and Ja Morant had already tallied a triple-double heading into the final frame. Morant finished with 25/10/10, his second triple-double in the last three games after going for 26/13/11 vs. these Thunder on December 7th.
Morant was dominant in the last meeting with OKC, which led the Grizzlies to a 123-102 win. That puts Memphis 2-0 vs. the Thunder this season as they also came out on top 121-110 on November 18th behind 19/7/11 from Morant but also 25 points from Jaren Jackson, Jr. Both of the previous matchups have been at FedExForum.
Scoop on Free Play from the Locker Room
OKC Needs a Miracle
It would have been hard for the Thunder to contend in this matchup even on three or four nights’ rest, but to ask them to stop the Grizzlies’ seven-game win streak while playing on the back-to-back just seems unfathomable. Oklahoma City had their chances for a win on Friday but fell 112-110 to Minnesota.
In their two most recent losses, the Thunder have kept the games close, as they also lost by two points to the Heat (110-108) on Wednesday, though Miami set a franchise record with 24 3-pointers. It should be noted that Minnesota played without both Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell on Friday night, but that’s still two close losses for OKC, with both games being at home.
Sometimes if you’re going to lose anyways, coaches would prefer you get blown out on the first leg of a back-to-back as it allows them to rest players for game two. Instead, in the close defeat to Minnesota, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played 38 minutes, so you wonder what the Thunder’s leading scorer (31.2 ppg) has left in the tank against the NBA’s #3 ranked defense.
Grizzlies vs Thunder Game Injuries
Grizzlies vs Thunder Head-to-Head
Memphis has gone 2-0 vs. the Thunder with an average margin of victory of 16 points. Both of those were home games for the Grizzlies, though, and they are 13-2 on their own court compared to 6-7 away.
Grizzlies vs Thunder Game Information
- Game: Grizzlies vs Thunder
- Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
- Day/Time: Saturday, December 17, 8:00 p.m. ET
- Grizzlies vs Thunder Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
Grizzlies vs Thunder Betting Lines
Grizzlies vs Thunder Picks & Prediction
It’s going to take some guts, but it really looks like the Thunder are the play here. Memphis has won seven in a row, while the Thunder have dropped five straight — and are playing on consecutive nights. Memphis’ dismantling of Milwaukee is also fresh on bettors’ minds, so most of the action will be on the Grizzlies.
Memphis also hasn’t made many road trips this month – just one, and they’re almost assuredly looking ahead to meetings with the Nuggets, Suns, and Warriors during this stretch. This isn’t saying the Thunder pull out the win, but the +8.5 points is too many.
Grizzlies vs Thunder Trends
Grizzlies vs Thunder Edge
Grizzlies vs Thunder Results
Grizzlies vs Thunder Game Summary
Grizzlies vs Thunder Previous Match (Dec. 7, 2022)
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies will meet on Wednesday with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Both Western Conference teams enter the matchup on three-game winning streaks.
Oklahoma City’s record is 11-13 while Memphi is 15-9. Against the spread, the Thunder have a 15-9 record while the Grizzlies are 11-12-1. This could be a tight game.
