Hawks vs Grizzlies Betting Odds: Grizz Have Hunger Back

Shorthanded Hawks Head to Memphis

The Memphis Grizzlies will look to take advantage of a depleted Hawks team when they play host to Atlanta at the FedExForum. Things look grim in this matchup for the road team so let’s dive into our Hawks vs Grizzlies Betting Odds to see how things may play out.

The Hawks are still without All-Star guard Dejounte Murray and despite getting De’Andre Hunter back last night they still head on the road shorthanded and fatigued. This will be their third game in four nights and the second of a back-to-back where they needed OT to beat the Chicago Bulls at home.

The Grizzlies meanwhile have won five straight games heading into this one, with their defense once again looking formidable since welcoming back Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. A win here will see them within 0.5 games of New Orleans for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Grizzlies opened as 7.0-point favorites, with the total set at 229.0 points.

Young Struggling to Shake Woes

When Murray went down with an injury the assumption was we might get the “old” Trae Young back. The fifth-year guard is enduring the worst shooting splits of his career and hasn’t found a way to snap out of his ice cold funk.

Young is shooting 28.9% from 3-point range this season, ranking in the ninth percentile among active guards in the league. This has been magnified by the fact the Hawks are desperately lacking outside shooting this season, with the team ranking in the bottom-five in the league for both 3-point frequency and accuracy.

The publicized falling out between Young and head coach Nate McMillan certainly hasn’t helped matters for the team or player. While their OT heroics last night kept them above .500 on the season it’s certainly fair to say they’re underperforming on the court given their schedule to date.

Memphis has returned to their formidable inside defense and the space in the midrange won’t be available for Young to operate in the manner he’s most comfortable. That extra pressure to deliver from beyond the arc is what makes this such a tough matchup for the Hawks.

If they’re going to keep pace with the Grizzlies they’ll need outside shooting to do it, and that means Young finding some of his flow again in providing that outside threat for the team.

Grizzlies Locking Down on Defense

Over the past month of basketball the Memphis Grizzlies own the number one defense in the NBA. They’re giving up just 107.9 points per 100 possessions and are top-five in opponent field goal percentage, opponent rebounding and opponent free throws allowed per game.

The fact it largely coincides with the return of Jackson Jr speaks volumes to the impact he has at that end of the floor. Even with key pieces around him still absent from the lineup his ability to recover and re-direct shots has been an anchor in helping the Grizzlies work toward the top of the Western Conference.

He may have to do the heavy lifting again in this matchup as well with the NBA injury report showing both Ja Morant and Steven Adams as questionable for this game. Should the latter sit, his rim protecting presence and rebounding skill set will become paramount against the two-man combination of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu.

Memphis potentially sitting some of their starters for extra rest there’s a chance this game ends up being played with plenty of offensive talent missing.

This game lines up as a schedule loss for Atlanta given their current state and the fact they’ll be coming off an emotional OT win against the Bulls in front of their home fans. That said, with Memphis potentially sitting some of their starters for extra rest there’s a chance this game ends up being played with plenty of offensive talent missing.

Playing the full game Under the total presents the best opportunity for value, with that number likely to drop should the Grizzlies lineup with Morant. That’s all for the Hawks vs Grizzlies Betting Odds but be sure to check out all our NBA content here, nba standings.

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