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The Dallas Mavericks (22-19) will take on the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies (30-14) at FedEx Forum Friday night, with tipoff set for 10:00 p.m. ET. The Grizzlies are easily the hottest team in the league at the moment, riding an 11-game winning streak after topping the Timberwolves 116-108 on Thursday. The Mavs have been playing some solid ball too, going 7-3 in their last 10, but just had a six-game winning streak come to an end with a 108-85 loss to the Knicks on Wednesday.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Grizzlies favored by two points at home, priced at -135 on the money line. The Mavs aren’t far behind at +115, with the point total set at 216.
Mavericks vs. Grizzlies, 10:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Grizzlies -2 (-115)
It’s pretty tough not to pick the Grizzlies especially when it’s just a two-point margin. They’ve been the hottest team in the league since Christmas, taking down big teams like the Warriors, Lakers (twice), Nets, Suns, and the Clippers. Ja Morant leads the team in scoring, averaging 24.6 points per game all season long. That jumps up to 26.7 for the point guard in his last 10 games as Memphis has quickly turned things around for themselves.
The Mavs have also been hot and should be a good matchup for the Grizzlies. The only thing the Mavericks might see an edge on over Memphis is their fatigue level — Dallas hasn’t played since Sunday, while Memphis has played five games in their last seven days. That could be a huge factor if the Mavs pull off a win, or if Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins decides to rest some legs.
Regardless, I’m sticking with the Grizz to win and cover at home tonight.
Over/Under: Over 216 (-110)
The Grizzlies are ranked in the top 10 pace-wise over the last two weeks, as they’ve been playing some fast-paced offense and running up their score relatively quickly. They’ve averaged 116.4 points per game over the last 10 outings. The Mavericks are on the other end of the spectrum, ranked near the bottom of the league since Christmas as far as pace goes. Their offense is still dangerous, but it’ll be interesting to see the two teams’ contrasting offensive styles. They should both be able to score a good amount of points, so I’m taking the over on this one.
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