After smothering the Bulls in an ATS victory once already this season the Memphis Grizzlies will try to do it again on Saturday night as those two teams hit the hardwood in Chicago.
Memphis topped Chicago 80-71 as a 6.5-point home favorite back on December 17 in an easy UNDER result for totals bettors on the NBA lines. Mike Conley scored a game-high 17 points for the Grizzlies in that win, and Carlos Boozer had 16 points for the Bulls.
The Grizzlies will try to spoil to the party on Saturday; they are 22-15-1 ATS against the number this season, while the Bulls are 15-23 ATS. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news). Memphis is 13-24-1 on the totals; Chicago is 16-22.
View Memphis vs Chicago Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Bulls sit at No. 8 in the current NBA Power Rankings here at Odds Shark, while the Grizzlies are at No. 4 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Grizzlies will win this game 96-94.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Chicago's No. 25-ranked offense (94.1 PPG) against a Grizzlies defense that ranks No. 2 at 89.8 PPG. The Bulls have averaged 44.1% from the field per game, more than the Grizzlies have managed so far this season (43.4% on average).
Defensively, the Grizzlies feature the league's No. 2-rated defense on the road, giving up 92.9 points per game. Chicago, meanwhile, comes in at No. 29 in the league in scoring at home.
Memphis won its last outing, an 85-69 result against the Kings on January 18. The Grizzlies covered in that game as a 9.5-point favorite, while the 154 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Memphis got 19 points from Mike Conley en route to an 85-69 victory over Sacramento on Friday at FedExForum.
The Bulls were a 100-99 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Celtics. They covered the 2-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (199) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Chicago earned a 100-99 victory over Boston on Friday, getting 20 points from Richard Hamilton at TD Garden.
Memphis Grizzlies Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 2-8
Before playing Indiana are 3-7
After playing Sacramento are 5-5
After a win are 6-4
Chicago Bulls Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing LA Lakers are 8-2
After playing Boston are 8-2
After a win are 5-5
A few Grizzlies at Bulls trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Memphis's last 9 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Memphis's last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Memphis's last 11 games on the road
Memphis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Memphis
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago's last 15 games at home
Next up:
Memphis home to Indiana, Monday, January 21
Chicago home to LA Lakers, Monday, January 21
