The New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies meet in a division showdown to open the 2023-24 regular season, one both franchises believe will be a pivotal one in their growth trajectory. The Pelicans were one of the better teams in the league a year ago before injuries derailed the season, while the Grizzlies hope to overcome some early adversity and re-capture the magic they had two seasons ago. These teams split their four meetings a year ago.
The Pelicans will be without Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall and Trey Murphy due to injuries. The Grizzlies won’t have Steven Adams for the season, while Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke are still recovering from injuries suffered last year and are out. Ja Morant begins his 25-game suspension and won’t play Wednesday.
The Grizzlies are 1-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 224.5. Both teams are priced at -110 on the moneyline.
Pelicans vs. Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pelicans +1
The Grizzlies were 20-5 without Morant in 2021-22, but that mark was 11-10 in 2022-23. Newcomer Marcus Smart will fill the void to begin the season, but there’s going to be some growing pains here. The Pelicans are relatively healthy and will have the advantage on the interior with Memphis’ bigs out. This could’ve been a great battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 picks from the 2019 NBA Draft to open the new year. Instead, we’ll likely see Zion Williamson and New Orleans pull away late on the road.
Over/Under: Under 224.5
Even with Williamson back in the fold, there’s unlikely to be a big offensive outburst from both sides. These were two of the most under-friendly teams in 2022-23. Memphis was 39-47-2 to the under a year ago, while New Orleans was 39-44 to the under. With a lot of key rotation players missing on both sides and Morant sidelined, the under is a safer bet in the opener.