Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies – Game #42
Doug McDermott may start for the Spurs on Wednesday night against the Grizzlies (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs (13-28) play a second consecutive road game against the Memphis Grizzlies (27-13). On Monday, the Grizzlies beat the Spurs by a final score of 121-113. The Spurs led by five points in the fourth quarter before the Grizzlies rallied back and got the win. Despite the loss, San Antonio had a lot of players perform very well (see the Grades).
Memphis has won seven straight games, which is currently the longest winning streak in the NBA. The Grizzlies are tied with the Denver Nuggets at the top of the Western Conference. Tonight, they are heavy favorites to extend their winning streak to eight games.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have lost five of their last six games. Their only win during that stretch was against the lowly Detroit Pistons. That said, the news isn’t all bad for San Antonio because the Spurs have had great efforts lately against the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Monday against the Grizzlies.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Devin Vassell is undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery today. He’s expected to miss at least a month of action.
Keldon Johnson is questionable for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies. He has missed the last two and a half games with a hamstring injury.
Keita Bates-Diop is also questionable. Considering he has been starting in place of Johnson, his absence would be more notable than usual.
Dominick Barlow is with the Austin Spurs of the G League, so he won’t be able to play this evening for San Antonio.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
With Devin Vassell unavailable, expect head coach Gregg Popovich to continue to start Romeo Langford in his place. In the last seven games, Langford has six starts and is averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.2 minutes per game.
Keldon Johnson will start if he’s able to play. If not, Keita Bates-Diop is likely to start in his place. If both players miss tonight’s contest, possible starters include Isaiah Roby, Stanley Johnson and Doug McDermott.
The other three starters are very likely to be Tre Jones at point guard, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Jakob Poeltl at center.
Ja Morant is Back for the Grizzlies
On Monday night, superstar Ja Morant was out due to injury. Tonight, he isn’t even listed on the injury report — so that means he’ll certainly play tonight.
On the season, Morant is averaging 27.2 points, 8.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 46.4% from the field, 31.0% from three-point range and 75.0% at the free throw line.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are favored by 13.5 points and the over/under is set at 239 points. While the Spurs only lost two nights ago by eight points, that was without Ja Morant. With Morant back in the picture, expect the Grizzlies to have an even easier time with the Spurs. Additionally, San Antonio likely overachieved on Monday night and could be extremely short-handed again. For those reasons, the smart money is on the Grizzlies winning and covering the 13.5-point spread.