Lakers vs Grizzlies Odds & Prediction for Play-In Tournament

Does Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James have one more NBA title run in him at age 38? We will start to get an answer to that question on Sunday when the seventh-seeded Lakers visit the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series. Let’s take a look at the analysis to consider in your NBA bettinga>.

Lakers vs. Grizzlies, Game 1 | 2023 NBA Postseason Expert Analysis

How to Bet Los Angeles at Memphis NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Sunday, 3 PM ET
Where: FedExForum
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Grizzlies -3.5 (total 229)

Season Series

The Lakers won two of three vs. the Grizzlies in the regular season. They last played on March 7 in LA and the Lakers prevailed 112-103. Anthony Davis had 30 points and 22 rebounds, and Dennis Schröder added 17 points and nine assists. LA was without LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell. Jaren Jackson scored 26 points and Tyus Jones had 16 for the Grizzlies, who were without star Ja Morant.

This marks the first NBA playoff meeting between these teams. The Lakers lead the all-time series 63-39 and have a 41-38 record vs. the Grizzlies since the team moved to Memphis.

Why Bet on LA Lakers?

The Lakers trailed for most of their play-in game Tuesday at home vs. Minnesota but rallied for a 108-102 overtime win to earn the West’s No. 7 seed. Los Angeles trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, but held Minnesota to 38 points in the second half, good for the lowest scoring half by a Lakers opponent all season. The Lakers held the Timberwolves to just 12 points in the fourth quarter, the lowest scoring total for a Lakers opponent in a quarter all season.

It shouldn’t have gone to OT, but Anthony Davis committed an incredibly stupid foul on Wolves guard Mike Conley while attempting a three-pointer with less than a second left and Conley made all three, but LA mostly dominated in OT. Davis played well otherwise with 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Davis took advantage of Rudy Gobert’s suspension and dominated down low, especially in the second half.

LeBron James led the way with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 45 minutes. LeBron found Dennis Schroder for a wide open 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left in regulation to give LA a three-point lead. Schroder led the second unit with 21 points. D’Angelo Russell struggled on Tuesday and finished with just two points on 1-for-9 shooting against his former Wolves team.

“When we went 2-10, the analytics side gave us a 0.3% chance of making the postseason,” James said after the win. “For us to turn around our season, for us to have an opportunity to compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, that’s all you can ask for.”

Bet Lakers to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

Why Bet on Memphis?

The Grizzlies will be very well-rested as they haven’t played since losing their regular-season finale 115-100 at Oklahoma City on April 9 when Memphis rested its starters. The Grizzlies are the No. 2 seed in the West for the second straight year.

They set single-season franchise records for scoring average (116.9), 3-pointers made per game (12.0) and points in the paint per game (NBA-high 58.4). It was the fourth consecutive season that the Grizzlies have set new single-season club records in both of these categories, and all four seasons have come since naming Taylor Jenkins head coach. The Grizz also set a single-season team record for fast break points (18.0) and had the best field goal percentage allowed (.453) for the first time in franchise history.

Ja Morant set the single-season franchise record for scoring average (26.2 ppg), while Jaren Jackson Jr. set single-season franchise records for blocks (189) and blocks per game (3.0). Jackson Jr. joined Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Ben Wallace as the only players to accomplish those feats since the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award was first handed out in the 1982-83 season. Opponents shot 46.9% at the rim with Jackson Jr. as the closest defender, the lowest percentage allowed in the NBA this season by a wide margin.

Memphis finished its 2022-23 regular season home slate with a 35-6 record at FedExForum, setting a franchise record for home victories and posting the NBA’s best home record for the first time in franchise history The 35 home wins were the most by any NBA team over the course of a season since the Golden State Warriors went 36-5 in 2016-17.

The Grizzlies have played the past two months without center Steven Adams, one of the NBA’s top rebounders, and he will not make it back for the playoffs no matter how far the Grizzlies advance.

Bet Grizzlies to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

Game Trends

Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Sunday games.
Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Lakers are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Memphis.