Western Conference rivals Memphis and Portland will meet for the first time this season when they clash at the Rose Garden later tonight. This evening’s game, which is scheduled for a 10:00pm ET tip, will not be broadcast nationally. The latest NBA Odds have the Trail Blazers listed as a -5 against the spread home favorite and the game total set at 187 points.
The Grizzlies come into tonight’s showdown with the Blazers sitting in first place in the Southwest Division. Memphis can thank a seven game win streak for the jump in the standings, but it has faced just one winning team (Chicago) during its current run.
The Grizzlies, now 10-6 overall, face a big step up in competition this evening in the hosting Blazers. Portland has experienced its share of troubles of late, winning just three of its last eight games to fall to 10-7 on the season; however, the Blazers have been a nightmare for teams at the Rose Garden.
Portland is 7-1 at home and they are coming off a 101-89 Rose Garden win over the Kings on Monday, a contest which ended a six game road swing for the team. The Blazers have not only won at home, they have typically done so by a wide margin, beating their visiting opposition by an average of 12.3 points per game.
Memphis has played .500 ball on the road thus far, but it has yet to beat a winning team away from home. The Grizzlies four road wins came against teams that are a combined 19-49 on the season (Minnesota, New Orleans, Detroit, Golden State) while their road losses were to San Antonio, Chicago, Utah, and Los Angeles (Lakers), clubs that have combined to go 34-5 at home.
Certainly the Blazers more closely resemble the latter four teams, especially in regard to their play at home, which means Memphis’ win streak is in serious jeopardy tonight. Adding further doubt to the Grizzlies chances this evening is the fact that Portland is 9-1 in its last 10 games as a home favorite with a spread between 4 and 7.5 points (5-5 ATS, Over 9-1 in those same 10 games).
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Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers 2012 NBA Odds: Provided by SBG Global
Memphis Grizzlies +5 (-110), Over 187 (-110), +180 (Moneyline)
Portland Trail Blazers -5 (-110), Under 187 (-110), -220 (Moneyline)
