Wednesday night in the NBA I will have a free pick in the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Memphis Grizzlies, which will take place at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. The game has a start time of 9:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN. Current Vegas betting odds have Memphis listed as 1 point favorites, while the total is set at 185.
Analysis: The Indiana Pacers come into this game with a full game lead over the Brooklyn Nets for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers have been on a roll of late as they have won their last 6 games in a row and they need to just win this game to clinch the playoff spot. Indiana has gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, but just 3-10 the last 13 games in the series. The Pacers have been poor offensive team this year, ranking 24th in scoring (97.5 ppg), 23rd in shooting, 11th in 3 point shooting and 12th in FT shooting. Defensively the Pacers have been very solid this year, ranking 4th in points allowed (97.1 ppg), 3rd in defensive FG% and 13th in 3 point defense.
About two weeks ago the Memphis Grizzlies had the 2nd seed in the West, but with the Spurs getting hot and Memphis struggling, the Grizzlies have now dropped all the way down to the 6th spot. Memphis has lost 2 in a row and 6 of their last 10. This is not a team playing well as they head to the playoffs. Memphis is 30-10 at home for the year. Memphis has gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, but just 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record overall. The Grizzlies have been an average offensive team this year, ranking 19th in scoring (98.4 ppg), 9th in shooting, 20th in 3 point shooting and 7th in FT shooting. Defensively the Grizzlies have been very good this year, ranking 2nd in points allowed (95.2 ppg), 11th in defensive FG% and 19th in 3 point defense.
Pick: Lat night the Pacers/ Wizards game had just 162 points at the end of regulation and I can't see this one producing a whole lot more. Both of these teams play excellent defense and both have issues at the offensive end of the floor, especially Indiana, who has averaged just 96.2 ppg on the road. They will be facing a Memphis squad that has allowed just 93.4 ppg at home ad just 91.8 ppg in their last 5 games. Memphis will not look do a whole lot on offense as they have very little if anything to play for here, while the Pacers will look to lock down on defense, which is how they win games. This one may not hit the 180s.
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