On Saturday, Ja Morant returns from injury for the Memphis Grizzlies as his team enters a tough road battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers. These are a pair of playoff-hopeful teams going head-to-head in the afternoon window at 5 p.m. EST to kick off the day, so settle in for one of the better matchups of this five-game slate.
Here’s a Grizzlies vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s game.
Grizzlies vs. Cavaliers prediction, preview
Memphis Grizzlies
With the Grizzlies far below expectations at just 4-9 so far, there’s work to be done in Memphis, though injuries are also part of the story. Zach Edey (ankle) and Cedric Coward (foot) are both questionable to play tonight, so their statuses will have quite the impact as the former looks to make his season debut. While Morant missed the last couple of games due to an ankle issue, he’s back and should be ready to go in this matchup. The issue here is simply putting the ball in the basket — the Grizzlies don’t have a single 20-PPG player as Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. lead the team with 18.9 and 17.2, respectively. Coward is also third on the team with 14.3 PPG, so his presence is a much-needed one. Memphis falls 26th in scoring as a team and 25th in both TS% and NETRTG. They’re simply not an efficient bunch, and at 22nd in DEFRTG, they’re not doing enough on the other end to make up for it.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers come in with a much better record at 8-5, as well as a much cleaner bill of health. Darius Garland (injury management) won’t play tonight, but he’s by far the biggest loss with Jaylon Tyson (concussion) the only current rotation player out. Cleveland is powered by Donovan Mitchell, who averages a career-best 30.5 PPG while shooting 50% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. He’s among the top scorers in the league right now and clearly the best player in this contest. Evan Mobley averages 19.0 PPG with 8.7 REB while anchoring the defense alongside frontcourt mates De’Andre Hunter (18.9 PPG) and Jarrett Allen (15.5 PPG, 7.9 REB). One player quietly flying under the radar as well is Sam Merrill, a sharpshooter knocking down 42.9% of his three-point attempts to the tune of 13.4 PPG. The Cavaliers rank fifth in scoring, 10th in NETRTG, and seventh in pace. While the defense hasn’t yet performed like the stifling unit deployed last season, Cleveland also comes in at 13th in DEFRTG and is respectable on that end.
Grizzlies vs. Cavaliers pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Cavaliers are strong favorites at -11.5 with -550 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Grizzlies hold +410 odds to win outright with a game total of 239.5 points.
This is a very wide spread, but an understandable one given the state of both teams. The visitors are floundering right now and haven’t responded as expected to head coach Tuomas Iisalo (though to be fair, the injuries throughout the rotation are a significant issue). The return of Morant does help Memphis, and if Edey and Coward can take the floor, the Grizzlies will theoretically have the pieces to cover tonight. However, so much hinges on their presence since the Cavaliers have a much better starting five and are better on both ends of the floor. With Mitchell playing like an MVP-caliber talent and a dominant frontcourt behind him, Cleveland should put up plenty of points on this struggling defense. The team total of 126.5 is one the Cavs can easily exceed this line after doing so in five of their last six games, so given the matchup, I like them to do so once more on Saturday in a win.
