Heat vs. Grizzlies Odds, Preview, Prediction: How to Bet This NBA Preseason Matchup (Friday, Oct. 7)

Heat vs. Grizzlies Odds

When we bet on preseason basketball there are a ton of variables to consider between minutes, motivation, and margins of victory. While teams may not necessarily be motivated to win, the individuals playing may be fighting for a roster spot, for a starting role, or … for the “culture.”

The Memphis Grizzlies played 10 players in their last preseason game against the Orlando Magic and everyone played at least 20 minutes. The biggest unknown for Memphis heading into the season is who will play the power forward until Jaren Jackson Jr returns.

Santi Aldama cruised to 21 points and sox boards in 24 minutes. They may look to get him more minutes with the starters since Memphis has not listed anyone new on the injury report besides Killian Tillie.

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This leads me to the Miami Heat who unsurprisingly have listed eight players on their injury report including Gabe Vincent, Tyler Herro, Victor Oladipo, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Omer Yurtseven, Dewayne Dedmon, and Caleb Martin after playing yesterday in Brooklyn. Regardless, Miami has considerable depth including Max Strus and Nikola Jovic.

Erik Spoelstra was slandered when he first became the head coach with questions about his ability to manage talent, but since LeBron James left Miami, Spoelstra has evolved into one of the best coaches in the NBA. He has truly built a culture where everyone on the roster is capable of stepping up and filling in a role — there is an intense dedication to a team first mentality coupled with conditioning.

This is evident in the preseason. Since 2014, Spoelstra is 19-9-1 against the spread as a dog (31.4% ROI) and 15-14 straight ip (34.3% ROI). Not only does he maximize the talent throughout his roster, but they are indoctrinated into his scheme, which is not typical for most teams.

Miami has depth that is interchangeable with its starters and the game plan does not necessarily need to change, which compensates for the drop off in talent. I’ll grab the points with Miami.

The Pick:Heat +8.5

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