Grizzlies vs. Warriors Odds & Picks: Can Memphis Cover In Game 3?

Grizzlies vs. Warriors Odds

The Memphis Grizzlies will make a trip to the West Coast for Game 3 of their series against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

Even with Draymond Green getting ejected in Game 1, Golden State was able to pull off a one-point victory and steal a game on the road. However, the Warriors didn't have as much in luck in Game 2 and could not find an answer for Ja Morant.

Dillon Brooks is suspended and will be out for this game. Will the Grizzlies be able to overcome that absence or will the Warriors defend their home court and go up 2-1 in the series?

Depth Is Crucial to Grizzlies' Success

After suffering a narrow loss in Game 1, there were some questions about whether the Grizzlies have met their match against Golden State and whether a young team would be able to compete in a series against a team with so much playoff experience.

However, those doubts were quickly put to rest on Tuesday as the Grizzlies came back out and defeated the Warriors, 106-101.

Ja Morant was the star of the show, putting up 47 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He also received some help from Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Zaire Williams, all of whom scored in double figures and helped showcase Memphis' depth.

That depth is what gave Memphis the No. 2 overall seed in the Western Conference and it has paid dividends on the defensive end of the floor this postseason. In eight postseason games the Grizzlies have posted the third best Defensive Rating at 105.9, all while holding opponents to field-goal and three-point percentages of 44% and 35.9%, respectively.

Memphis has been great at taking everyone's attention off of Morant and forcing opponents to pay attention to everyone who is out there, which will continue to help them throughout this game and series.

Warriors Seeing a Decline on Offense

Golden State dominated in Round 1 against Denver. Almost everything was clicking for the Warriors, especially on the offensive end of the floor. Some of that momentum has carried over into Round 2.

In seven playoff games, the Warriors have posted an overall Offensive Rating of 117.6, which ranks second out of the 16 NBA teams that made the postseason. As a team, they are also shooting 49.5% from the floor and 38% from behind the arc — showcasing their ability to attack their opponents with great success from just about anywhere on the court.

However, those numbers have fallen slightly early on in Round 2, which comes with some concern.

The Warriors have seen their Offensive Rating fall to 106.3 in the first two games of this series, which has been their lowest output during any stretch this postseason. They are also shooting just 45.2% from the floor and 27.6% from deep, further proving that their production has slipped.

Memphis is a tough defensive team, so seeing Golden State's averages fall should be expected, but they are going to have to play much more efficient basketball if they hope to win this game and take a 2-1 series lead.

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Grizzlies-Warriors Pick

The Warriors are returning to their home court and hence will have the crowd on their side, but I believe this is a good spot to back the Grizzlies to cover.

During the regular season, this Memphis team was the best in the NBA when it came to covering the spread, doing so in 64% of its games. That has carried over into the postseason, as the Grizzlies are 5-3 ATS and 3-0 in their past three games.

I expect Ja Morant to come into this one with some momentum after nearly posting a 47-point triple-double in Game 2. I think Memphis will continue to stay competitive and cause some problems for Golden State.

Pick: Grizzlies +7 (-110)