NBA basketball on Sunday night and we will see Memphis Grizzlies travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The game has a start time of 9:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on NBA Tv. Vegas odds have the Grizzlies listed as 12 point favorites, while the total sits at 209.
Stat Packs: The Memphis Grizzlies come in at 47-32 overall and 21-18 on the road for the year. This is an important game for the Grizzlies as they are currently tied with Phoenix for the 8th spot in the Western Conference and the Grizzlies have a game with at Phoenix on deck. Memphis comes in ranked 26th in the league in scoring, as they have average just 95.9 ppg, but they are a good shooting team as they have hit 46.3% from the field, which is 8th in the league. Zach Randolph (17.1 ppg) and Mike Conely (17.1) lead the team in scoring, while Randolph also leads the team in rebounding (10.1 ppg). Marc Gasol (14.4 ppg) and Courtney Lee (11.3 ppg) round out the double digit scorers on the team. Defensively this is a very solid team that ranks 3rd in the league in points allowed (94.5 ppg) and 9th in defensive FG% (44.9%).
The Lakers are in the midst of a horrible year as they come in at 25-54 on the year, which is the 2nd worst record in the Western Conference. The Lakers have also struggled at home this year, going 14-36 at the Staples Center for the year and they have lost 6 in a row overall, with 5 of the 6th loses being by at least 12 points. The Lakers have been a solid offensive team this year as they rank 11th in scoring (102.8 ppg), 16th in shooting overall (44.8%) and 3rd in 3pt shooting (38.0%). Nick Young leads the team in scoring at 17.9 ppg, while Jodie Meeks is 2nd at 15.6 ppg. Injuries have really zapped this team as Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash have all been lost for the year. Defensively, though, is where the Lakers have really struggled as they have allowed 109.5 ppg (29th) on 46.8% shooting (26th). Even worse is their last 6 games, in which they have allowed 119.2 ppg.
Pick: Let's take the Under in this one. The Lakers have played horrible defense of late, but the Grizzlies average just 96 ppg on the year and are not the type of team that will look to run with the Lakers, especially once they are up big and with the playoffs up very soon. Offensively the Lakers have lost allot due to injuries and will be hard pressed to put up big numbers vs this Memphis defense that has allowed just 94.5 ppg, which is 3rd in the league. I really expect the Grizzlies to slow the pace and that should give us a game of around 200 at best.
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NBA Free Picks: Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting
What pro basketball bettors need to know about Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday (4/13/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson, with Host Marco D'Angelo.