Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Lakers Picks, Predictions & Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

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The opening round of the NBA Playoffs resumes on Friday night with a heavyweight Game 6 showdown between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers. Coverage begins from the Crypto.com Arena in L. A. at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING PREDICTION

The first five matchups of this series have been quite the rollercoaster so far, as the Grizzlies and Lakers traded punches back-and-forth pretty evenly for the length of Games 1 and 2 in Memphis, which ultimately resulted in a 1-1 split, and the Lakers returning home for Game 3 as a -160 favorite to advance to the second round.

At first glance, the Lakers’ price tag to to win the series seemed a little bit steep entering Game 3 against the No. 2 seed in the West tied at 1-1, however, it appears that the oddsmakers were accurate in their recalibrated assessment, as the Lakers rumbled to back-to-back home victories in Games 3 and 4, which in turn, led to L. A. getting tagged as a massive -950 favorite to advance prior to Game 5.

In Game 5, though, the Grizzlies quickly chopped that number in half with a convincing bounce-back performance on their homefloor, as Memphis jumped out to a huge 14-point lead in the first quarter of their most recent event, and never broke stride on the way to a comfortable 116-99 victory to force Game 6 in L. A.

All things considered, the Grizzlies may still have the more talented roster from top-to-bottom in this series, however, they tend to play like a shell of themselves in matchups away from their home building, highlighted by Memphis posting lackluster records of 16-27 SU and 14-29 ATS on the road this year, while ranking 24th in the league in offensive rating in those matchups (111 ORtg).

The Grizzlies are a world-class defensive team regardless of game location, highlighted by Memphis ranking 1st in defensive rating at home and 9th on the road this season, however, all of their hard work on defense tends to go to waste during away stints due to the fact that they rank Bottom 10 in the league in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage on the road (46% FG, 34% 3P).

After successfully defending their homecourt on the brink of elimination on Wednesday night, the Grizzlies hit the road again for Game 6 as 4.5-point underdogs against the Lake Show, and rightfully so, as the Lakers managed to win their first two home matchups of this series by margins of 6+ points, despite knocking down just 17 of their 64 three-point attempts in those two contests.

If the Lakers make it out of this series alive, I would advise pumping the brakes on any grand assumptions regarding their title chances. They might look good in this series, but this is still an L. A.’ team that ranks 25th in the league in three-point shooting percentage; fortunately, though, it doesn’t take much to move the needle when playing host to a Grizzlies’ squad that’s posted a sub-.500 record on the road this year. Lay the points with Los Angeles in Game 6.

Score Prediction: Lakers 116, Grizzlies 108
Best Bet: Lakers -4.5 (-110)

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MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING ODDS

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Friday, April 28, 2023
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
Location: Los Angeles, California
TV-Time: ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET
Matchup
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NBA Finals Betting Odds

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING STATS

Memphis Grizzlies
SU: 53-34
ATS: 40-47
O/U: 40-46-1
PPG: 116.9
OPPG: 113.1

Los Angeles Lakers
SU: 47-41
ATS: 43-43-1
O/U: 45-41-1
PPG: 117.2
OPPG: 116.6

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING TRENDS

• The Grizzlies are 3-7 ATS in their last ten games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of Memphis' last six games.
• The Grizzlies are 2-4 SU in their last six games.
• The total has gone OVER in 10 of the Lakers' last 14 games.
• The Lakers are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 15 of the Lakers' last 20 matchups against Memphis.
• The Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last five home games.
• The Grizzlies are 2-4 ATS in their last six games against the Lakers.
• The Grizzlies are 2-4 SU in their last six games against the Lakers.
• The Grizzlies are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games.
• The Grizzlies are 1-8 SU in their last nine road games against the Lakers.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson