Pointspread: New York -4.5 Over/Under: 213.5 The Memphis Grizzlies will try and avenge last week?s two-point loss to the New York Knicks at home when the two teams meet again this Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.
Memphis is currently clinging to a two-game lead over Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are coming off a 105-82 romp over the LA Clippers this past Monday night as a 5 ½-point home favorite that raised their record to 37-31 straight-up on the year and 42-25-1 against the spread.
Injuries remain the big story for this team as Rudy Gay is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury and both Marc Gasol and Jason Williams are listed as questionable for this game. If they cannot go, look for Zach Randolph, who leads the team with 20.3 points and 12.7 rebounds a game and Mike Conley, who is the third leading scorer with 13.9 points and a team-high 6.6 assists a game, to fill the void.
The welcome home party in New York for Carmelo Anthony is over as three straight losses have cut its lead over Philadelphia for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference to just a half a game. Even more concerning are the back-to-back losses to Indiana in its last two games. First, the Knicks were crushed 106-93 last Sunday as a nine-point home favorite and then they dropped a 119-117 decision as a five-point road favorite on Tuesday. The recent setbacks have dropped them to 34-32 SU overall and 39-25-2 ATS.
Anthony and Amar?e Stoudemire are each averaging around 26 points a game and Billups is averaging close to 20, but a paper-thin defense continues to allow the losses to pile up. New York is second in the league in scoring but second-to-last in points allowed. It also has one of the worst rebounding differentials in the NBA.
The Knicks beat the Grizzlies 110-108 last Wednesday as a 4 ½-point road underdog and should be able to take advantage of Memphis?s depleted lineup to notch another victory at home. Stick with the Knicks to win and cover thepoints in this one to keep their current losing streak from reaching four.
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