NBA Parlay Picks of the Day
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz
Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 10 p.m. ET (TNT) at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City
Bad Reasons Why One Might Like Utah
There are several reasons why Utah is attracting a lot of bettors and all of them are bad reasons.
One, Jazz backers are tempted to draw a parallel between this game and Game 2 between Miami and Milwaukee.
To begin that series, in Game 1, Milwaukee looked lackluster and vulnerable. In Game 2, the Bucks came roaring back to blow out the Heat.
Two, Jazz backers think that the Grizzlies are content to have won one road game in the series, know that Utah needs to tie the series up, and so they believe that it’s a foregone conclusion that Utah will even the series.
Adding to the second bad reason why Utah is attracting bettors, Grizzly players like to talk a lot of trash. So the thinking is that the Jazz will play angry.
Three, starting point guard Donovan Mitchell will return to Utah's lineup.
Why These Are Bad Reasons
Those who claim that Utah will play angry in Game 2 are guilty of following self-undermining logic.
If both teams ruffled each other’s feathers, which they did, then Memphis will surely play angry, as well.
Moreover, it seems absurd to think that the Grizzlies will play complacently because they won Game 1. This is still the playoffs.
The biggest factor that I want to address is the return of Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell is going to play in a game for the first time since April 16.
Even if he doesn’t face minute restrictions, he’s going to have to rediscover his playing form and reestablish chemistry with his teammates, who have been playing games without him for over a month.
Jazz players missed a lot of open shot opportunities in Game 1.
When Mitchell tries to establish himself as a scorer, he’s going to take opportunities away from his teammates to make up for those missed shot attempts.
Moreover, Memphis can stick defensive stalwart Dillon Brooks onto Mitchell.
Brooks regularly limits opposing top scorers, recently holding San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan to 5-of-21 shooting from the floor.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Grizzly power forward Jaren Jackson Jr is an expert on the subject of trying to reestablish oneself as a scorer.
His three-point conversion rate this season is down because he was forced to sit out for an extended period of time.
When he returned, his shooting stroke was still absent.
Despite generating some strong shooting outputs in May — like when he converted three of seven three-point attempts on May 6 — he was off in Game 1.
Because he’s been an effective three-point shooter throughout his career — his career conversion rate from behind the arc remains over 37 percent — I expect him to bounce back.
The threat that he poses beyond the arc will help move Jazz rim-protector Rudy Gobert away from the basket, which will open up the inside for teammates of his like speedster Ja Morant who love to drive to the basket.
5-9 Feet
Utah likes to position its rim protector Gobert near the basket. He is famous for his drop coverage in Utah’s ball-screen defense.
Morant can beat slower-footed Gobert to the basket and Dillon Brooks has been superb.
The latter has beat — often blasted — his scoring average in each of his last six games thanks to his mixture of three-point shooting and driving inside.
The thing about the Grizzlies is that they do not need to score too much at the basket.
In Game 1, they attempted 28 shots from 5-9 feet from the basket.
This proclivity to attempt shots from this range is nothing new to the Grizzlies. In fact, they’ve been doing it all season.
During the regular season, Memphis attempted 1.2 more field goals from 5-9 feet from basket than any other team.
Thanks to Morant’s floaters and other teammates, the Grizzlies were and are efficient from this area.
They will only have more success than they did in Game 1 if Jackson can help space the floor with better shooting.
Turnovers
Memphis excels at turning defense into offense. This ability helps speed up the other team, thus ratcheting up overall game tempo and producing more field goal attempts and more scoring opportunities.
While Memphis havoc helps the “over,” it obviously helps Memphis cover, as well.
The Grizzlies led the NBA in the regular season in steals per game. They have cultivated a reputation for disrupting passing lanes and amassing deflections.
In three regular season games against Utah, they accumulated a total of 29 steals even despite facing a pre-injury, in-form Mitchell, who was Utah’s best ball-handler when healthy.
The Verdict
The Grizzlies will thrive especially from 5-9 feet, but also at the basket, partly because they will often turn defense into offense.
While the Jazz should improve some upon their open-shot efficiency in Game 1, they will be held back by Mitchell’s return, by turnovers, and I didn’t even get into the stout rim protection of Jonas Valanciunas and defensively improved Jaren Jackson because Utah likes to shoot so many threes.
For the above reasons, expect a higher-scoring game featuring another Memphis triumph.
Oddsmakers are offering a ton of free points and a total that is much too low partly because Utah played at a slower tempo during the regular season.
Best Bet: Parlay Grizzlies +8.5 at -108 & Over 217.5 at -108 at +271 odds with Heritage
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz
Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 10 p.m. ET (TNT) at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City
Bad Reasons Why One Might Like Utah
There are several reasons why Utah is attracting a lot of bettors and all of them are bad reasons.
One, Jazz backers are tempted to draw a parallel between this game and Game 2 between Miami and Milwaukee.
To begin that series, in Game 1, Milwaukee looked lackluster and vulnerable. In Game 2, the Bucks came roaring back to blow out the Heat.
Two, Jazz backers think that the Grizzlies are content to have won one road game in the series, know that Utah needs to tie the series up, and so they believe that it’s a foregone conclusion that Utah will even the series.
Adding to the second bad reason why Utah is attracting bettors, Grizzly players like to talk a lot of trash. So the thinking is that the Jazz will play angry.
Three, starting point guard Donovan Mitchell will return to Utah's lineup.
Why These Are Bad Reasons
Those who claim that Utah will play angry in Game 2 are guilty of following self-undermining logic.
If both teams ruffled each other’s feathers, which they did, then Memphis will surely play angry, as well.
Moreover, it seems absurd to think that the Grizzlies will play complacently because they won Game 1. This is still the playoffs.
The biggest factor that I want to address is the return of Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell is going to play in a game for the first time since April 16.
Even if he doesn’t face minute restrictions, he’s going to have to rediscover his playing form and reestablish chemistry with his teammates, who have been playing games without him for over a month.
Jazz players missed a lot of open shot opportunities in Game 1.
When Mitchell tries to establish himself as a scorer, he’s going to take opportunities away from his teammates to make up for those missed shot attempts.
Moreover, Memphis can stick defensive stalwart Dillon Brooks onto Mitchell.
Brooks regularly limits opposing top scorers, recently holding San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan to 5-of-21 shooting from the floor.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Grizzly power forward Jaren Jackson Jr is an expert on the subject of trying to reestablish oneself as a scorer.
His three-point conversion rate this season is down because he was forced to sit out for an extended period of time.
When he returned, his shooting stroke was still absent.
Despite generating some strong shooting outputs in May — like when he converted three of seven three-point attempts on May 6 — he was off in Game 1.
Because he’s been an effective three-point shooter throughout his career — his career conversion rate from behind the arc remains over 37 percent — I expect him to bounce back.
The threat that he poses beyond the arc will help move Jazz rim-protector Rudy Gobert away from the basket, which will open up the inside for teammates of his like speedster Ja Morant who love to drive to the basket.
5-9 Feet
Utah likes to position its rim protector Gobert near the basket. He is famous for his drop coverage in Utah’s ball-screen defense.
Morant can beat slower-footed Gobert to the basket and Dillon Brooks has been superb.
The latter has beat — often blasted — his scoring average in each of his last six games thanks to his mixture of three-point shooting and driving inside.
The thing about the Grizzlies is that they do not need to score too much at the basket.
In Game 1, they attempted 28 shots from 5-9 feet from the basket.
This proclivity to attempt shots from this range is nothing new to the Grizzlies. In fact, they’ve been doing it all season.
During the regular season, Memphis attempted 1.2 more field goals from 5-9 feet from basket than any other team.
Thanks to Morant’s floaters and other teammates, the Grizzlies were and are efficient from this area.
They will only have more success than they did in Game 1 if Jackson can help space the floor with better shooting.
Turnovers
Memphis excels at turning defense into offense. This ability helps speed up the other team, thus ratcheting up overall game tempo and producing more field goal attempts and more scoring opportunities.
While Memphis havoc helps the “over,” it obviously helps Memphis cover, as well.
The Grizzlies led the NBA in the regular season in steals per game. They have cultivated a reputation for disrupting passing lanes and amassing deflections.
In three regular season games against Utah, they accumulated a total of 29 steals even despite facing a pre-injury, in-form Mitchell, who was Utah’s best ball-handler when healthy.
The Verdict
The Grizzlies will thrive especially from 5-9 feet, but also at the basket, partly because they will often turn defense into offense.
While the Jazz should improve some upon their open-shot efficiency in Game 1, they will be held back by Mitchell’s return, by turnovers, and I didn’t even get into the stout rim protection of Jonas Valanciunas and defensively improved Jaren Jackson because Utah likes to shoot so many threes.
For the above reasons, expect a higher-scoring game featuring another Memphis triumph.
Oddsmakers are offering a ton of free points and a total that is much too low partly because Utah played at a slower tempo during the regular season.
Best Bet: Parlay Grizzlies +8.5 at -108 & Over 217.5 at -108 at +271 odds with Heritage
