The Memphis Grizzlies (43-27, 29-5 home) welcome the Dallas Mavericks (36-35, 14-21 away) in a Western Conference showdown between two of the top teams in the conference. Memphis has won two of three against the Mavericks, including a 104-88 victory the last time these teams hit the floor.
Monday’s contest tips off at 8 p.m. EST inside the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is a two-point spread, while the over/under total is currently set at 229.5 points.
What to Know – Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks ride a two-game winning streak into Monday’s contest, both on the road against San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers. The two wins snapped a three-game losing skid that included a pair of losses to the Grizzlies.
Offensively, Dallas is 17th in the NBA, averaging 113.8 points per game thanks to 47.4% shooting from the floor and 37.1% shooting from beyond the arc. The Mavericks defense ranks 14th in the league, holding opponents to 113.3 ppg, 48.6% shooting from the field and 35.1% shooting from deep.
Luke Doncic (33.0 ppg) and Kyrie Irving (28.4 ppg) team up to be one of the top-scoring duos in the NBA. Irving is coming off a 28-point effort in Friday’s victory over L.A. but both he and Doncic are questionable for Monday’s tilt.
Dallas is 26-42-3 against the spread this season and 15-20 ATS on the road. The Mavericks are 5-1 ATS over their previous six contests against the Grizzlies.
What to Know – Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis has also won two in a row as the Grizzlies continue to play without All-Star Ja Morant. The Grizzlies are 5-1 over their last six contests and sport one of the best home records in the NBA.
On offense, the Grizzlies are tenth in the league in scoring, averaging 116.1 ppg behind 47.0% shooting from the field and 33.7% from the 3-point line. Defensively, Memphis sits sixth in the NBA, surrendering 112.2 ppg, 44.9% shooting from the floor and 35.4% from three.
With their leading scorer out, Memphis has gotten production from Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones in his absence. Jackson Jr. has led the Grizzlies in scoring over the last three outings, averaging 28.0 ppg in that span.
On the year, the Grizzlies own a 33-35-2 record ATS and a 21-12-1 mark at home. Over the past eleven matchups, Memphis is 3-8 ATS against Dallas.
The Pick is In
There are a lot of variables up in the air for Monday’s game, including the status of the two key players for the Mavericks. Dallas could hand Memphis a rare home loss if both hit the floor, but chances are even if Doncic and Irving play, neither will be 100%. The safe play here is to roll the dice with a Grizzlies team that has continued to play at a high level even without their best player in the lineup.
The Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -2
