Grizzlies vs Lakers Betting Odds: Grizzlies Gathering Steam
Lakers Look for Home Comforts
Memphis Ready to Force Game 7
The Memphis Grizzlies will look to stave off elimination once more when they head to LA for Game 6 of their first-round series. Let’s dive into our Grizzlies vs Lakers Betting Odds preview and see where the value sits.
The Grizzlies were impressive in Game 5 as they overcame their OT heartbreak to extend the series and head back to LA with a chance to level things. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane were instrumental as they combined for 64 points as they try to wrestle back momentum on these short turnaround games.
The Lakers defense looked sluggish and off pace as they seemed to struggle with the one day rest and travel in Game 5. While Anthony Davis snapped his poor form in the series with a 31 point, 19 rebound outing there was little else to be optimistic about from that Game 5 loss.
The Lakers are currently 4.5 point favorites in Game 6 with the total set at 219.5 points. So far this series, the Lakers are 3-2 ATS, while the Under has gone 3-2 as well.
Lakers Offense Struggling for Consistency
The Lakers offense finished Game 5 scoring 0.98 points per possession and with a 45.7% Effective Field Goal average, which ranked in the 10th percentile for team offensive efficiency this season.
That comes after they recorded just 1.08 points per possession in that OT win at home and ended with a 48.9% Effective Field Goal average.
The teams halfcourt offense is having a tough time unlocking one of the best defensive units in the league and their fastbreak points are drying up as their stars continue to log big minutes. Those minutes are being magnified now with the quick turnaround between games and travel between games.
The more things slow down the more the pressure on LeBron James becomes apparent as his playmaking ability becomes paramount to unlocking a disciplined defense.
Darvin Ham’s rotations have come under scrutiny as well as he tries to find the right balance between defensive stability and offensive efficiency that best utilizes his stars top-end talent.
If the pace continues to drop below the average seen these NBA playoffs it’s hard to see how LA creates the shot quality required to justify laying this many points against a young, energetic team.
Grizzlies Need Bench Production
If Memphis is going to extend this series and give themselves a shot at winning this series they’re going to need to get the type of production off the bench that they’ve been getting from their second unit at home.
The Grizzlies were 15th in NBA standings in bench points per game this season, which is impressive when you consider how many games they had with bench players in the starting lineup.
The issue is that the Lakers are 4th in bench points and have been reliant on getting good production from their role players in front of their home fans. If that’s the case again then Memphis simply needs to get scoring from one of Luke Kennard, Tyus Jones, David Roddy or Santi Aldama to have a chance at this one on the road.
In the games they’ve lost this series, the Grizzlies have been -15, -19 and -7 in bench scoring. If they can find a way to get effective production in their limited minutes then what we’ve seen so far on the road then we could see an opportunity for their star guards to again lead the way.
The +4.5 points for the Grizzlies in an elimination game is great value, even for the road team that hasn’t gotten reliable scoring off the bench as yet in LA. They have been creating the better shots this series and if they start to drop here there’s every chance this series goes back to Memphis for a Game 7.
That’s all for our Grizzlies vs Lakers Betting Odds piece. Be sure to check back for all our NBA playoff analysis and best bets.
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