NBA Betting News and Notes Saturday, May 25

NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies look to avoid a 0-3 hole Saturday night when the series shifts to FedEx Forum in Memphis. Although Memphis trails the series, Gritty Grizzlies have split at the betting window (1-1 ATS) and hit the hardwood a cash stuffing 11-2 ATS during second season. Grizzlies lead by Zach Randolph (18.0, 47.9%), Marc Gasol (17.5, 46.3%) are netting 95.5 PPG on 44.4% shooting while allowing opponents 93.4 per contest on 44.2% from the field in playoff action. Grizzlies have yet to lose on home hardwood in second season posting a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS mark holding visitors to a messily 89.6 points/game. For the season, Grizzlies are 27-18-1 ATS on home court with a 6.9 PPG winning margin.

Spurs 10-2 (8-4 ATS) this post season have hit 46.3% of their shots as a team scoring 102.2 points/game. Tony Parker (21.6 PPG, 45.0%), Tim Duncan (17.5, 44.9%) lead Spurs in the offensive department. On the defensive end Spurs have held their opponents to an average 91.8 PPG on 42.7% shooting. Spurs have been excellent on the road this postseason, going 4-1 SU/ATS with all four victories coming by double-digits. On the year, Spurs are just 24-22 ATS away from the friendly confines of AT&T Center with a 3.7 PPG winning margin.

The Memphis offense struggling in this series scoring just 86.0 PPG on 38.0% shooting puts the team in dangerous betting territory as Grizzlies are 12-16 ATS at home held at =< 95 PPG. But, you can also make a strong case behind it's stifling defense which could help Grizzlies bring home the cash as Spurs are just 7-16 ATS on the road when held to =< 100 points.

Spurs at Grizzlies: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (-5.5, 177.5)

Spurs lead best-of-seven series 2-0.

The Memphis Grizzlies are in must-win mode as the Western Conference finals move to the FedExForum for Saturday’s Game 3 against the visiting San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies dug themselves out of a 0-2 hole in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers and will need to do so again with San Antonio winning two on its homecourt. The Spurs had a 2-0 lead in last season’s West finals before losing four straight to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Memphis put together a late charge before succumbing 93-89 in overtime in Tuesday’s Game 2. The Grizzlies trailed by 18 points with 14 minutes remaining before rallying to force the extra session but were unable to even the series. “We’re down 0-2,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “We’ve got to go home and take care of business at home. It’s not going to be easy, but that’s where we are.” Spurs point guard Tony Parker set a personal playoff-best with 18 assists in Game 2 but isn’t relaxing over the 2-0 edge. “We understand that we didn’t do anything,” Parker said. “We just protected home court and we have a long way to go because we know we’re playing a very good team.”

ABOUT THE SPURS: Parker also had 15 points and three steals while bettering his previous personal-best for playoff assists by four. He has been playing with a painful left calf injury suffered in the second-round series against the Golden State Warriors and underwent an MRI exam on Thursday. The results displayed the calf contusion is dissipating and the three-day break without a game also should help Parker be more spry for Game 3. He is averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 assists in the series. Guard Danny Green has been stellar from long range and is 9-for-14 from behind the arc over San Antonio’s last three playoff games, while power forward Tim Duncan has blocked six shots despite shooting 9-for-23 from the field over the first two games.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Power forward Zach Randolph finally got his game going in the second half of Game 2. He had just four points on 2-of-18 shooting over the first six quarters of the series before finding room to operate during Memphis’ second-half comeback. Randolph finished with 15 points and 18 rebounds – including seven on the offensive boards – and center Marc Gasol also had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Grizzlies need their star post players to find their shooting touch – Gasol is 11-for-28 from the field and Randolph is 7-for-26.

TRENDS:

* Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games.
* Grizzlies are 6-0 ATS in their last six home games.
* Over is 5-0 in Spurs’ last five Conference Finals games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. San Antonio has made 23 3-pointers in the series – including a franchise postseason-record 14 in Game 1.

2. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Spurs 60-46 in Game 2, led by a 19-4 edge on the offensive glass.

3. Spurs G Manu Ginobili failed to reach double digits in either of the first two games and has just one 20-point outing in San Antonio’s 12 playoff games.

Spurs at Grizzlies, Game 3
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

The Western Conference finals shift to Memphis with the home team desperate for a victory. San Antonio comes to the Grind House on Friday night with a commanding 2-0 advantage in this best-of-seven series.

As of eary this morning, most books had Memphis (64-31 straight up, 57-36-2 against the spread) installed as a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 177.5. Bettors can back the Spurs on the money line for a +200 return (risk $100 to win $200).

For first half wagers, the Grizzlies are favored by 3.5 with a total of 88.5.

San Antonio (68-26 SU, 47-45-2 ATS) won Game 1 by a 105-83 count last Sunday as a 4.5-point home favorite. The 188 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 181.5-point total. Tony Parker led five double-figure scorers with 20 points and nine assists for the winners.

Zach Randolph might have played his worst game of the season in the series-opening setback. The Michigan St. product made only 1-of-8 shots from the field, scored just two points and had a plus-minus rating of -28. Quincy Pondexter scored a team-high 17 points for the Grizz.

Game 2 looked like much of the same with San Antonio leading by as many as 18 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Spurs were held to only nine points in the fourth quarter as Memphis rallied to force overtime.

In the extra session, Tim Duncan scored six of his 17 points to propel his team to a 93-89 win. The Grizzlies took the cash as 5.5-point underdogs, while the 182 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 180.5-point total thanks to OT.

Parker suffered through a dismal 6-of-20 shooting performance, but he dished out a postseason career-best 18 assists. He also had three steals and committed only two turnovers. Tiago Splitter chipped in 14 points and Danny Green knocked down 3-of-4 attempts from downtown.

In the losing effort, Mike Conley Jr. and Jerryd Bayless shared team-high scoring honors with 18 points apiece. Randolph still couldn’t buy a bucket, going 6-of-18 from the floor, but he generated 15 points and 18 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.

Lionel Hollins’s squad has been here before. Memphis trailed the Clippers 0-2 in their first-round matchup but responded with four consecutive victories.

San Antonio has been in a similar situation, too. The Spurs led Oklahoma City 2-0 in the Western finals last year, only to drop four in a row.

Memphis has won all five of its home playoff games both SU and ATS. San Antonio has been tough on the road with a 4-1 record both SU and ATS.

Sportsbook.ag has the updated series price as San Antonio -450, Memphis +350 (risk $100 to win $350). The Spurs were -140 ‘chalk’ to begin the series.

Sportsbook has proposition wagers galore, including a prop for whom will score the first point of the game. Parker is the +500 'chalk' (risk $100 to win $500). The next-shortest odds (+550) belong to four different players: Conley, Randolph, Marc Gasol and Duncan.

The ‘under’ is 50-42-2 overall for the Spurs, 24-20-2 in their road assignments. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have seen the ‘under’ go 54-40-1 overall, 29-17 in their home games.

ESPN will have the telecast at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Spurs Look For 3-0 Lead
By Sportsbook.ag

SAN ANTONIO SPURS at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

The Grizzlies look to climb back into the Western Conference Finals with the Spurs when the series shifts to FedEx Forum on Saturday night for Game 3.

Memphis nearly pulled off an amazing comeback in Tuesday's Game 2, erasing an 18-point deficit with 14 minutes to play by outscoring San Antonio 31-13 for the remainder of regulation before losing 93-89 in overtime. Once again, the Spurs shot much better from the floor (43.4% FG to 34.0% FG), but the Grizzlies kept it close with a 60-46 rebounding advantage and 19 offensive boards.

San Antonio has now won four straight games SU, but is just 4-4 ATS in the past eight contests. Although Memphis trails the series 2-0, the club is now 11-1 ATS in the past dozen games. The Spurs have been excellent on the road this postseason, going 4-1 (SU and ATS) with all four victories coming by double-digits. But the Grizzlies haven't lost on their home floor during these playoffs, going 5-0 (SU and ATS) and holding these opponents to a mere 89.6 PPG on 42% FG (33% threes). San Antonio is a strong 8-1 SU (5-4 ATS) with at least three off-days in between games this season, while Memphis is a poor 3-5 (SU and ATS) with this excess rest.

The Spurs have been very efficient on offense during their four-game win streak, averaging 100.3 PPG on 48% FG and 43% threes. The team has also tallied 28.5 APG and just 12.0 TOPG during this span, which equates to a stellar 2.38 Ast/TO ratio. In Tuesday's win, San Antonio recorded assists on 81% (29-of-36) of its field-goal attempts. The defense has also been strong during the win surge, holding opponents to 86.3 PPG on 40% FG (33% threes). In Game 2, the Spurs blocked 12 shots, which helped lead to Memphis' awful 34% FG clip.

All five San Antonio starters scored more than 10 points on Tuesday, led by PF Tim Duncan's 17 points (6-of-14 FG), which was a huge improvement from his six points (3-of-9 FG) in Game 1. Duncan also added nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals to give him a game-high +22 rating.

PG Tony Parker didn’t shoot well (6-for-20 FG) to get his 15 points, but he dished out a playoff career-high 18 assists and committed just two turnovers in his 42 minutes, giving him 27 assists and five turnovers for the series. He also had five boards and three steals.

SF Kawhi Leonard tallied his 11th straight double-figure scoring game with 12 points, and his nine rebounds represented a big jump from his meager two boards in 30 minutes of Game 1.

SG Danny Green remained hot with 11 points on 4-of-8 FG (3-of-4 threes) and he also added four boards and three blocks. Green has connected on at least 50% of his shots in four straight contests, combining to make 19-of-32 FG (59%) and 11-of-19 threes (58%).

C Tiago Splitter was a non-factor in Game 1 with one point and zero rebounds in 17 minutes, but shined on Tuesday with 14 points (6-of-8 FG), four rebounds and two blocks.

SG Manu Ginobili finally made at least half of his shots for the first time in nine games, connecting on 3-of-6 tries. He scored 15.3 PPG in the first four games of the Golden State series, but has averaged just 7.5 PPG on 33% FG in the past four contests. San Antonio's bench provided a huge boost in Game 1 with a combined +47 rating, but that dropped to minus-31 rating on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies offense has really struggled since the first round of the playoffs, scoring just 91.4 PPG on 40% FG over seven games. In this series, the team has a paltry 86.0 PPG on 38% FG. But the defense is still capable of winning games for this club, holding three of the five playoff visitors to 83 points or less. The one big consistency for Memphis has been its ball-handling, as the club averages 19.5 APG and 10.6 TOPG for the entire postseason, which equates to a strong 1.83 Ast/TO ratio. In the past nine games, the Grizzlies have not committed more than 12 turnovers in any contest.

After a miserable Game 1 performance (2 pts, 1-of-8 FG, minus-28 rating), PF Zach Randolph was a monster down low on Tuesday with 15 points and 18 rebounds (7 offensive). But once again, he shot terribly from the floor (6-for-18 FG) and connected on just 3-of-8 free throws. C Marc Gasol also produced a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, plus four assists and two blocks, but made just 4-of-12 shots.

PG Mike Conley was the only starter that didn't shoot poorly (6-of-14 FG), as he finished with 18 points and four assists in his 35 minutes of action. SG Tony Allen (2-of-11 FG) and SF Tayshaun Prince (1-of-5 FG) combined for just 10 points and a minus-27 rating in Game 2.

With these two starters having subpar games, reserves PG Jerryd Bayless and SF Quincy Pondexter were able to pick up their slack and help greatly during the Memphis comeback. Bayless had a team-high-tying 18 points while Pondexter finished with seven points and nine rebounds.