Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies: 3 Best Bets for First Road Matchup
The Houston Rockets are 2-0 on the season against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies, but both of those wins came at the Toyota Center. This year, Houston has only one win on the road, so any game played outside of Texas will be trouble, even against a bad team.
The game marks Dillon Brooks's first return to Memphis after his offseason departure this summer. While cheers should greet him–he was a positive force on the up-and-coming Grizzlies–many fans may only remember him for his playoff antics.
The Grizzlies have been bitten by the injury bug all season, and tonight Desmond Bane joins the list, questionable with an illness. Steven Adams, Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Luke Kennard, and Marcus Smart all remain out. For Houston, Victor Oladipo is out while Tari Eason and Amen Thompson are questionable.
For the third time this season, we have our three best bets, powered by the lines at SI Sportsbook.
Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. dribbles against Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy (21) in the second half at Toyota Center.
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The Lines
Point spread: Grizzlies +3.5 (-110)/Rockets -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Grizzles (+130)/Rockets (-161)
Over/under: 212.5
Our Picks
Parlay pick: Alperen Sengun to get 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet to get 10 assists, Rockets to win (+540)
We rarely pick paralys, but the way this one is set up has value written all over it. While it’s true that Fred VanVleet has not recorded double-digit assists at all in the last five games, he’s been hovering just below it. Alperen Sengun averages 9.1 rebounds and got 10 in the last matchup, and Memphis is not a great rebounding team. Houston is not favored by much, but Memphis is bad, injured, and hopeless, so Houston winning should be the easiest leg to hit.
Defense pick: Dillon Brooks OVER 0.5 steals (-154)
If Brooks gets booed, expect him to fire on all cylinders. He is usually good for a steal, and the extra motivation in his homecoming game should propel him to at least get his requisite one, maybe even more. He did not record one on Wednesday but averages 0.9 on the season.
Safe pick: Jabari Smith Jr. OVER 13.5 points (-110)
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 20 points on Wednesday and only missed three shots. That’s the definition of the hot hand, and we always ride the hot hand. His season average is up to 12.9 points despite being fairly cold in the three games before this. This season, he has scored 18 and 20 on Memphis, so expect another big outing. The second year forward seems to have figured out Memphis.
