When the NBA schedule was released this summer, I have to say I didn’t care much about Thursday night’s Memphis vs. Portland matchup. But it’s a surprising battle between two of the last three undefeated teams in the NBA and the Trail Blazers will also be watching Ja Morant’s first game against his former team after the Grizzlies traded him this summer. I expect him to put up big numbers in his old team. Portland is a 7.5-point home favorite in the Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers odds are at DraftKings Sportsbook, and the Over/Under total points at 232.5. Say the best Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55, trade $25, and get this $55 bonus:
This is one of just three NBA games on Thursday’s NBA schedule, and the final is at 10 pm ET. At -7.5, Portland gets 86% money and 82% tickets, with a total of 232.5 the Over is getting a similar lean.
Fans interested in NBA betting can follow the NBA news and our experts are prepared to deal with any of the sum sports betting apps. Bet on NBA tips and more at DraftKings and $200 in qualifying bets plus three free months of NBA League Pass;
Grizzlies vs. NBA Blazers parlay the same game
- Portland money line
- Everything Below 240.5
DraftKings: SGP price: +104 (subject to change)
Tom Condon is the fairly new owner of the Blazers, and he’s already been blamed for some penny-pinching moves in Portland and the firing of coach Tiago Spaltez after he surprisingly led the team to a Western Conference playoff spot last season. The split is quickly taken away from the bull. Condon then made the unprecedented decision to hire his replacement, former Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, in an early season deal. The second and third year of the film are options that hold the franchise, so Condon and the previous job have all the leverage.
One wonders why Nori even took this job, but there are only 32 of them and this looks at the rise of the team. And boy is the team now fun with the additions of Morant and future Hall of Famer and franchise icon Damian Lillard. For just the second time in the last 15 seasons, the Blazers have opened the season 3-0.
The value of the pass in Memphis has been at an all-time low since the June delivery of Jerami Grant and Kris Murray in steals. When Morant is healthy and doesn’t have the toys on the court around him, he’s arguably a top-20 player in the league and definitely top-10 exciting. The 27-year-old successfully fits in as a team player, not trying to dominate the ball, averaging 16.3 points on 58.8% shooting from the field and 6.3 assists. Tonight in O/U he is 24.5 points + assists and the model has him at 18.4 points and 5.9 assists.
Lillard was on the Blazers last season but missed her last year with Milwaukee due to injury. The 36-year-old looks great, putting up 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night. What team has a more interesting court than Morant and Lillard? Plus, two good backups in Festo Jrue and Scott Henderson, and I haven’t even mentioned arguably the best all-around player on the team forward Deni Avdija (22.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 6.3 APG).
Portland leads the NBA in scoring at a whopping 129.3 points per game. Also in field goals made per game (45.7), and assist/turnover ratio (2.24). Last season, he went 21-22 in the regular season, which is when the score was within five points in the final five minutes. So far this year, 2-0.
Is the team ready to win the West? Probably not, as the price is +2800 and he has a season total of 45.5 wins, but the Blazers could make some noise. They beat the previously undefeated Jets on Monday night, 136-129. And, hey, Oklahoma City is seriously underpowered, so you never know. Nori is among the early favorites for Coach of the Year at +MD.
Bet on the NBA and more with the BetMGM CBSSPORTS bonus, where new users can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets:
That Portland 3-0 isn’t exactly out of nowhere, but Memphis 4-0 in the middle of a supposed rebuild after the Morant and Jaren Jackson trades (to Utah last season) is pretty amazing. Tuomas Iisalo is +1400 for Coach of the year. It’s just the second time the Grizzlies have started 4-0, after the 2014-15 team started 6-0 en route to a 55-27 performance.
There’s no doubt that the guy carrying the Grizzlies, Ty Jerome, has been the reigning Western Conference guard of the week. His career scoring average is 9.7 PPG, and this is a few notes as he posted a whopping 29.8 PPG number up – Jerome is a +600 leader for the NBA’s Most Unexpected Player. Jerome leads the NBA in scoring average (19.0) and quarterback average (1,000) among players who have played a minimum of three games. You’re already hearing what the Grizzlies teams are calling about him. In O/U he put 24.5 points here.
Then the Chiefs can sell the 20-year-old, who has a player option next season and makes only $9.2 million this year. Jerome is not part of a future team that is built around the likes of rookie Cameron Boozer (+220 ROY favorite), second-year and third-year Cedric Coward, but injury-prone big man Zach Edey, along with a few others.
I think Memphis is playing a little over his head, as all four opponents are under .500 and even the Grizz have inflicted some injury on their opponents – like in Monday’s 110-105 win at Utah. The Jazz saw stars Jackson and Lauri Markkanen leave in the first half and not return. Memphis led at halftime in all four games and made more 3-pointers than the opponent in all four, shooting 39.1% while holding opponents to 32.4%.
Bet on NBA futures with Caesars Sportsbook promo code CBSSPORTSBR250 and double your winnings on 10 bets:
Portland won three of four in this series last season and has taken the past three at home in it. It’s the end of a four-game road trip for the Grizzlies, so it’s a natural place to let down. He has not traveled for at least four games since November 2013. The journey was made so that Jerome would return to Earth. Model has the Blazers by a score of 117-111. Check out other financial experts read on SportsLine daily.