Memphis Grizzlies Predicted to Defend Home Court Against Portland Trail Blazers!

The Western Conference's two hottest games start Thursday afternoon as the 3-0 Memphis Grizzlies take on the 2-0 Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. For the Grizzlies vs Trail Blazers game, there are also some additional reasons to take an interest in the matchup — it's the first between the two teams since the Grizzlies acquired Ja Morant from Portland as part of the June blockbuster that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. The tip-off time of 10:00 pm ET gives bettors a true even shot early season matchup to dissect.

Here are a few quick notes on the Grizzlies vs Trail Blazers game.

Form and Recent Results

The two teams have been efficient so far and on paper, they are heading down different paths:

On the other side of the coin, Memphis is on the back end of a real scheduling nightmare, having played at Sacramento on Sunday and at Utah on Monday, a back-to-back before heading to Portland on Thursday. That's three road games in five nights to start the year. Portland, on the other hand, has had a clean week with a victory over Sacramento, a road trip Tuesday vs. the Lakers, and then another two days of rest prior to playing at Memphis. It's not just a footnote in the disparity of rest and travel, it's a significant one, and it's in Portland's favor.

Head-to-Head and Storyline Context

There is no meaningful head-to-head sample to draw from as these are the first regular-season matchups between these two squads to come out of both the Morant trades. What it is, it's a built-in sub-plot: Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, both Grizzlies now, take on the team that just outgrows them, while Morant gets his first taste of his old team. It will be more intense, but as with all storylines in sports journalism, there's a precaution to take: This kind of story will be more important to the broadcast than to the scores.

Injury Report

• Portland: Shaedon Sharpe is still recovering from the surgery performed on his right meniscus and could be a missed opportunity in the long term, especially as he is a wing player. Micah Potter and Branden Carlson both wore questionable/out tags earlier in the week, and both will be confirmed checked prior to Thursday's game; check the team's pregame report to confirm the status of each prior to the game as neither are confirmed starter-level losses. Chris Youngblood (two way, ankle) will continue to be a depth chart player and not a rotation player.
• Memphis: Grizzlies' first three games have been played without any major injuries reported. For the concern about Memphis, it's workload and fatigue management, not health.

Pace and Style

The two sides have had free scoring early — Portland racked up its 124-83 victory over Phoenix on a blowout and Memphis's three single-digit victories indicate success by other means. Portland has been relying on size and switchability to its fore with Donovan Clingan at the rim, while Memphis' style early on has been guard-driven scoring outbursts. A faster-paced possession-heavy game would appear to be Memphis' shot-making strength, whereas a half-court grind would be best for a deeper, more physical frontcourt Portland.

Key Players to Watch

Highlights and Storylines

• Memphis has a 3-0 record with a very tough first year despite it being a brutal start to the season with Ty Jerome's outing the big story so far.
• Just one of the lopsided games of opening week came from Portland's 124-83 victory over Phoenix, which is a testament to the fact that the Lillard-Morant-Avdija combination (when healthy and working well) has scoring potential.
• The matchup has a story all on its own, as it will be the first on-court reunion since the Morant-for-Grant-and-Murray trade.
• Memphis will then finish a three-game road trip in five nights, which is a fatigue factor that needs to be considered at the end of the season.

Data-Driven Prediction

Memphis has been better 3 games out of 3, but the schedule isn't on the Grizzlies' side. After a couple of straight road games, a third straight road game against a Portland squad that's rested and larger on offense, is what even the hot start can catch up with. The fact that the Portland team is so size-heavy with painters via Clingan and Camara likely should provide some trouble for Memphis' smaller, but guard-heavy squad.

But it's not a corking either way — the hot shooting from Ty Jerome and the guard depth from Memphis are all real and new rotations on both sides (in particular, Portland's depth-heavy backcourt) bring some unpredictability early in the season. This isn't a blowout guarantee, though, as the Trail Blazers' rest advantage and interior size were the two key factors with the lean being on the home side of the ball in Portland.

Lean: Trail Blazers -1 -3 (line range as of this writing; check the line before wagering). Portland has a value play with Memphis having a travel/fatigue spot. Total: the line is in the low 220s, favoring a lean to the Over, as both have been opening the season in bunches.

Conclusion

This grizzlies vs trail blazers matchup is a very interesting early-season clash, where the storylines, rest differentials, and style-of-play contrast in slightly different ways. The rest and size differential for Portland is more important Thursday than the undefeated record for Memphis, but the Morant revenge game story and Jerome's hot start make this one worth watching no matter which way you land.

Bettors should watch out for the latest markets for odds, props and live lines on this and other NBA matchups as they get closer to the tip-off. As ever, make every prediction a forecast and never a promise: always bet responsibly, only wager what you can afford to lose, and don't forget that sports betting is only for the legal age of your jurisdiction. But if gambling stops being fun, there are resources to help.

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