Jazz vs. Grizzlies Odds: Game 3 Preview, Picks, & Predictions
Jazz vs. Grizzlies Odds
| Jazz Odds | -5 |
| Grizzlies Odds | +5 |
| Moneyline | -200/+165 |
| Over/Under | 224.5 |
| Time | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Jazz vs. Grizzlies Game 3 Preview
Second-year phenom Ja Morant has demonstrated early in the Grizzlies-Jazz first-round playoff series that he’s the best player in the matchup. But with Donovan Mitchell returning from an ankle injury for Game 2, the Jazz showed quite clearly that they are the better team.
Now, with the series split at 1-1, Utah takes momentum into Memphis with hopes of reclaiming home court advantage. The Grizzlies had stunned the Jazz—and the basketball universe—in Game 1, with a 112-109 upset fueled by Morant, Dillon Brooks, and gritty, hard-nosed defense. But Utah punched back in Game 2, with Mitchell leading a 141-129 complete-team win.
With pretty much all their pieces back intact, the Jazz should be able to keep rolling against the Grizzlies Saturday. In his first two playoff games, Morant has 73 points on 26-of-47 shooting in 79 minutes. He’s undoubtedly one of the most talented and athletic young stars in the game. But the help from his supporting cast has been inconsistent all season, and the Grizz defense looks like a G-league squad compared to Quin Snyder’s Utah D.
The biggest difference in Game 1 and Game 2, besides “(player-popup #donovan-mitchell)Donovan Mitchell”:/players/donovan-mitchell-37875’s presence, was perimeter shooting. The Jazz went 12-of-47 from deep in Game 1, but bounced back to shoot 19-of-39 in Game 2. They also outrebounded Memphis 42-33, and won the assist battle 28-20.
Jazz-Grizzlies Predictions
Winning as a team has been the modus operandi of the top-seeded Jazz all season. They may not have one bona fide “top 10” player in the league—some would even argue they don’t have a top 20 guy—but as a collective unit, they are extremely hard to beat. A Game 1 upset might be all Memphis can muster against this squad if it remains at full strength.
Utah may not be the most popular team in basketball, but it’s got as good a chance as any franchise to finish on top at the close of a truly bizarre NBA season. All the pieces are there: the basketball savant head coach in Snyder, the elite pure scorer in Mitchell, the lob target and defensive powerhouse in multiple DPOY winner Rudy Gobert, the floor generals in Mike Conley and Joe Ingles, the three-and-D specialist in Royce O’Neal, and the deadly shooters in Bojan Bogdanovic and Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson.
This isn’t a squad comprised of dudes you’d want on your fantasy basketball team. But it’s a squad like you’d put together in franchise mode in 2k and end up winning it all. It just works—the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. The Jazz are what the Grizzlies wish they could end up as in two or three years.
Don’t count on it happening anytime soon, though. Memphis played it uber-conservative with “(player-popup #jaren-jackson)Jaren Jackson Jr.”:/players/jaren-jackson-409099’s return from his meniscus injury. Originally expected to return after the All-Star break, JJJ ended up out of the lineup until late April, at which point he saw a minutes restriction. Arguably the Grizzlies’ second-best player, the third-year big has exceeded 30 minutes of playing time just twice since returning on April 21. He’s logged 20 points just once in 13 games since, and reached eight rebounds just once as well.
Rebounding and defense might be a bigger concern than JJJ’s limited scoring contributions. Rugged center Jonas Valančiūnas has done yeoman’s work on the interior all season, but he needs more help against the 7-foot-1 Gobert. And Memphis cannot contain Utah when it’s clicking on all cylinders from long-distance. The Grizz may have some flashy young scorers, but they don’t have enough offensive consistency to outscore a squad with such accuracy, intelligence, and chemistry.
NBA Pick ATS: Utah Jazz -5
Regardless of how the rest of this series shakes out—cough, Utah wins out, cough—Memphis has plenty to be happy about this season. Jackson Jr. is back and healthy. Morant looks like a future perennial All-Star. Valančiūnas and Kyle Anderson have carved out significant and impactful veteran roles. And Desmond Bane, De’Anthony Melton, and Xavier Tillman all look like they deserve long-term rotational roles for a playoff team.
I’m going with Utah -5 Saturday, because the -110 is worth chasing those five points. However, I totally understand if you’re gun-shy after Game 1 and want to play it safe with the Jazz’s -200 moneyline. I get it—it’s an away game against a young, athletic team that can get hot quickly. But Utah finished with the best record in hoops (53-21) for a reason, and had a 21-15 record on the road this season. Morant might register another 40-burger, but the Jazz should once again get the last laugh.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Jazz 112-105
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