Filip Tomic
After 5 wins in a row the Boston Celtics are looking to end a perfect Western Conference coast road trip as they head to Memphis for a date with the Grizzlies. For this occasion I have prepared a +505 odds Same Game Parlay. Predictions on the side and total for Monday’s games will be available on our NBA Picks page.
Let’s jump into my Celtics vs Grizzlies SGP!
Celtics -4.5 (-112)
Kristaps Porzingis to score 20+ points (-125)
Jaren Jackson Jr. 2+ made threes (-104)
Same Game Parlay odds: +505
Celtics -4.5 (-112)
The spotlight might be on the Cavaliers and Thunder as they own the 2 best records in the East and West, but the Celtics are the team to beat in my opinion as we head into the postseason. This current West coast road trip proves just that. No team has come close to beating them, the average margin of victory against the Spurs, Suns, Kings, Blazers and Jazz was 19 points. Granted, Memphis ranks higher in the standings than all 5 of those teams — but the Grizz aren’t having the best of times, themselves, having won just 4 of 10 games. Ja Morant and co. just fired their head coach Taylor Jenkins last week after he led them to fourth place in the West and a 44-28 SU record. You don’t just fire your head coach for no reason with a handful of games remaining in the regular season, there must be a deeper issue here that we are just not made aware of. The Celtics have won 8 games in a row and they will be amped up to get revenge for the defeat suffered against Memphis earlier this season. I’ll be backing the Celtics.
Kristaps Porzingis to score 20+ points (-125)
Getting Kristaps Porzingis into shape has been a priority for the Boston Celtics. When he is healthy, this team is pretty much unbeatable. Head coach Joe Mazzulla has done a really good job at getting him to his spots. Porzingis is averaging 20.5 points per game over the last 10 outings while playing just under 30 minutes per game. He is one of the most productive players per minute in the NBA, especially among the third options on teams. Going up against Jaren Jackson Jr. will certainly be a challenge, but KP has responded well to similar matchups in the past. His last 4 games vs the Grizzlies read 19, 26, 26 and 25 points scored, while in the last 10 meetings he is averaging 21.9 points dating back to his days with the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis tends to play a fast tempo, which should also contribute to Porzingis’ point production. Jaylen Brown is a game-time decision; if he doesn’t play, that automatically upgrades KP to the second scoring option behind Jayson Tatum. I’m counting on him to deliver a solid performance.
Jaren Jackson Jr. 2+ made threes (-104)
Ja Morant’s constant going in and out of the lineup has made Jaren Jackson Jr. the most important Grizzlies player. He’s leading the team in scoring at 22.4 points per game and has produced solid numbers this entire season. His 3-point shooting has been exceptional; over the past 10 games at 48.7% efficiency. During the month of March he is at 2.4 made 3s per game, he has failed to clear this line only 3 times which is quite impressive for a player of his size. Morant returning from injury should open things up for him as well, with the Celtics defense concentrating around slowing down the point guard. In his last game against the C’s he knocked down 3 shots from deep, while in the last 10 meetings he is averaging 1.9 3-pointers made on 46.4% efficiency. Boston is usually a really good team when it comes to defending the 3-ball, but just last night the Spurs knocked down 14 triples against them. Let’s hope JJJ can do some damage from distance.
