NBA Picks: Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Hornets
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The New Orleans Hornets have won five straight, and are set to host the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET at New Orleans Arena.
The Grizzlies come in off a 96-84 home loss to the Chicago Bulls, snapping a short two-game winning streak. New Orleans came from behind to the beat the Raptors 85-81 on Monday, and have done a nice job of of closing games out over their five game winning streak.
Taking a look at the NBA spreads for tonight’s game, oddsmakers have the Hornets favored by 4-points over the Grizzlies with the total set at 184.
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The Grizzlies really struggled offensively against the Bulls, shooting just 37.7% from the field. Memphis didn’t do a very good job moving the basketball, as they finished the game with just 14 assists.
Zach Randolph led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Marc Gasol added 12 points and O.J. Mayo came off the bench to score 15 points. No other Memphis player scored in double figures. Rudy Gay tied a season-low with just nine points on 1-10 shooting. Gay is averaging 20.8 points in the month of January, but has failed to score at least 20 in three of his last four games.
It won’t get any easier for the Grizzlies offensively tonight, as they take on a New Orleans team that has thrived on the defensive end this season. New Orleans is allowing just 91.9 points a game this year, but have held opponents to just 88.6 over their last five games.
The Hornets beat the Raptors despite getting just six points from Chris Paul, who also had 11 assists and three steals. Paul has been bothered by an ankle injury, and it is going to be hard for this team to keep winning if he isn’t more of a factor offensively.
Lately David West has really stepped up his game and been a factor offensively. West had 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Raptors, his third straight game with at least 23 points.
Emeka Okafor added 17 points and 16 rebounds and Jarrett Jack came off the bench to score 17 points in just 27 minutes. Still the key for the Hornets winning starts with defense, as they just don’t have the talent offensively to consistently win games by outscoring the other team. The Hornets are 10-4 in their last 14 games, and all four losses came when they allowed the other team to reach the 100 point mark.
I think there is no question you take the Hornets at -4 in this one. New Orleans is playing as well as they have all season, and are 16-5 at home this season.
For more help with who to take this season, check out what our expert NBA handicappers have to offer in their daily NBA picks.
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