Grizzlies vs Rockets Online Betting Odds
The Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies will face off in the Toyota Center on Thursday. [ad-4468020]
Memphis Grizzlies (12-15) at Houston Rockets (19-11)
Date: Thursday, December 26, 2013
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Toyota Center
City: Houston, Texas
O/U Odds: 197
Spread: Houston -7.5
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The Rockets will need to get back up in a hurry after a pivotal Christmas Day game in San Antonio, while the Grizzlies will need to get their season back on the rails fast as they are quickly fading from the Western Conference playoff picture.
The Grizzlies continue to play strong defense, ranking seventh in the Association in scoring defense, though they haven’t had the kind of success they did a year ago. The team did pick up a win in their last outing though, beating Utah 104-94.
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The win was the second in a row for the Grizzlies, but it followed a five-game losing streak, and a stretch of seven losses in eight games. The game was uncharacteristically high-scoring for the Grizzlies, but the team kept up by shooting 47.0 percent from the floor and 55.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Power forward Zach Randolph led the team in points, rebounds, and assists with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, and he did so efficiently on 8 of 14 shooting from the floor and 6 of 6 shooting from the charity stripe with only two turnovers.
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Point guard Mike Conley scored only six points on 2 of 11 shooting, but made up for it with four steals. Jerryd Bayless and Mike Miller put on a show from three, combining to hit on 7 of 8 from the land beyond.
The team’s defense had an off night, allowing Utah to hit on 46.7 percent of their shots, and hit at a 45.8 percent clip from beyond the arc, not the kind of form they’d like to be in entering a meeting with the Rockets.
As for Houston, their offense continues to fly, with the team scoring better than 106 points per game and ranking second in the Association in scoring. Guard James Harden has keyed the team’s offense, leading the club with north of 23 points per game and better than five assists per contest.
The Rockets have also quietly ranked sixth in the Association in rebounding, thanks to the presence of Dwight Howard in the middle, bringing in more than 13 rebounds per game.
Also, despite his protests, Omer Asik is still around, bringing in 6.8 boards per game, though he hasn’t seen the court any time soon and likely won’t see it in a Rockets uniform again.
The team would surely be better off dealing him for a warm body that can contribute off the bench than letting him sulk around the rest of the players.
The Memphis defense is still playing soundly, but Houston is going to get its points at home and the prospects of the Grizzlies keeping up once the Rockets get going aren’t great.
The play: Houston -7.5
