Spurs vs. Grizzlies Odds For NBA Postseason Play-In Tournament (May 19)

Spurs NBA Playoff Odds

Death. Taxes. The San Antonio Spurs in the NBA playoffs. These are three things all Americans can rely on. Gregg Popovich has the Spurs in the postseason picture once again.

The Spurs clinched a play-in berth and will be relying on their interesting combination of lanky wing players to propel them to a surprise playoff appearance.

They have one of the best halfcourt defenses in the league per Cleaning The Glass. And Popovich has this group playing disciplined as per usual, which means limiting turnovers. This allows the Spurs to get into their offense. And to Popovich's credit, almost 82% of the Spurs plays come out of the halfcourt.

Simply put, no matter how unimpressed you are with the Spurs' personnel, it is clear that they've been prepared well for postseason (sort of) basketball.

On the injury front, defensive ace Derrick White and big man Luka Samanic are still out indefinitely. Meanwhile, forward Trey Lyles has been dealing with a nagging sprained right ankle injury. The 25-year old has been a solid 10th-11th man all season, but he's taken on a much greater role since San Antonio let go of LaMarcus Aldridge.

If the Spurs can't get a healthy Lyles for the Play-In, expect DeMar DeRozan to play a ton of minutes and to see a lot more of Drew Eubanks.

The Spurs' style of play helped them to a solid record against the spread (ATS). And just like it did in the regular season, their ability to limit mistakes will make them an intriguing team to bet on.

Grizzlies NBA Playoff Odds

Memphis has been everything you could expect in Year 2 of the Ja Morant Experience. The Grizzlies have clawed their way into the Play-In Tournament with Morant shooting less efficiently but taking on an even larger share of the offense.

Players like Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, and Jonas Valanciunas have turned in career-best seasons for second-year Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. The occasional offensive outburst is needed from one of these players against the toughest competition.

While Memphis is by no means one of the more efficient offenses, the Grizzlies do possess an innate ability to get offensive rebounds and oh-so-valuable second-chance points in the halfcourt. This will bode well for the Grizz if they can muck up their game(s) in the Play-In Tournament.

Memphis will be best served to play a slow-paced — besides Morant transition attacks — and grind-it-out style in the Play-In.

Jaren Jackson Jr. has been solid since his return, providing a much-needed rim protector and some scoring punch off after missing the first 56 games due to recovery from his torn meniscus. Jenkins' ability to rely on Jackson for a bigger minutes load in the postseason will be the top factor for potential Memphis bettors to watch out for.

The Grizzlies have been one of the best teams in the NBA against the spread (ATS) this season. At this point, they're very used to overcoming Vegas' expectations, but they may have too much to overcome in the NBA Play-In.