The Memphis Grizzlies (21-13, 13-3 Home) play host to the New Orleans Pelicans (23-12, 7-8 Away) Saturday in a matchup that pits tremendous defense against explosive offense. New Orleans is playing the second of a back-to-back after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 127-116 at Smoothie King Center yesterday, their fifth win in a row.
CJ McCollum was the key player with 42 points. The Pelicans are level with the Denver Nuggets atop the Western Conference, currently sitting in first. Memphis were victorious on Thursday at Scotiabank Arena, beating the Toronto Raptors 119-106.
Dillon Brooks had 25 points and six assists to lead the team. The Grizzlies are one game back in the Western Conference, currently sitting in third.
The teams are meeting for the final time this season. New Orleans and Memphis have split their two matchups this season. The Grizzlies earned the win in the most recent meeting, beating the Pelicans 132-111 at FedExForum on November 25.
Brooks led the Grizzlies with 25 points, while Ja Morant added 23 points and 11 assists. Trey Murphy III had 21 points in the loss. Zion Williamson is averaging 26.2 points per game to lead the Pels in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game, and McCollum is dishing 6.1 assists.
Morant (26.8 ppg) has supplied much of the Grizzlies’ offense. Morant also has doled out 8.1 assists per game, fifth-most in the league. Steven Adams has posted 10.5 rebounds per game. The Grizzlies are third in defensive efficiency in the league, while the Pelicans rank fifth in offensive efficiency.
The Grizzlies have had the advantage in recent matchups between the teams at FedExForum, winning seven of the last 10. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 2-2 this season when playing two days in a row and 2-1 with a rest disadvantage.
The Grizzlies are 1-3 with a rest advantage. In the last 10 games, New Orleans is 6-4 with an average margin of +1.2 (120.4-119.2). For the season, the Pelicans are averaging 118.1 points per game, compared to 112.7 for opponents. Memphis has also gone 6-4 over the last 10, scoring 116.8 points per game on average while allowing 108.3 (+8.5 margin).
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
CJ McCollum: 40.6 | 31.2 | +9.4
Larry Nance Jr.: 6.5 | 16.0 | -9.5
Points per game:
Zion Williamson: 39.5 | 26.2 | +13.3
Rebounds per game:
Zion Williamson: 4.0 | 6.9 | -2.9
GRIZZLIES HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Desmond Bane: 18.8 | 30.4 | -11.7
Points per game:
Desmond Bane: 14.0 | 22.0 | -8.0
Rebounds per game:
Ja Morant: 4.0 | 6.2 | -2.2
Assists per game:
Ja Morant: 10.4 | 8.1 | +2.3
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
NO Pelicans (+185)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
