Bucks vs Grizzlies Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, December 15th

Check out our free Bucks vs Grizzlies pick and preview for this NBA game in Memphis. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Bucks vs Grizzlies NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks at Memphis Grizzlies
Where: Memphis at FedExForum
Date: Thursday, December 15th
Betting Odds MEM -1.5, MIL +101 | MEM -122 O/U 227.0

The Bucks come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 20-7. So far, the team has gone 15-10-2 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Milwaukee has an overall record of 2-1, including going 1-1-1 against the spread.

In their previous game, the Bucks took down the Warriors by a score of 128-111. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 2 point favorites. Milwaukee played well enough in the second half to prevent the Warriors from making things interesting down the stretch, as they led by 12 going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he contributed 30 points while hitting 34.6% of his shots.

The Grizzlies come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 18-9. So far, the team has gone 13-12-2 against the spread. Memphis comes into the game having rattled off 6 straight wins. In these victories, the team has an average scoring margin of 13.83 points per game

In their previous game, the Grizzlies took down the Hawks by a score of 128-103. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 9 point favorites. Memphis went on to win the game, as they led by 11 heading into halftime. In the win, Tyus Jones led the team in scoring with 22 points on a field goal percentage of 57.1%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

Going back to last season, the Bucks and Grizzlies split their season series, with each team picking up a win at home. The average point total across the two games was 228.0 points. Similar to their season-long average, the Bucks averaged 114.0 points per game vs the Grizzlies. Similar to the Bucks, the Grizzlies scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs Milwaukee, the team averaged 120.5 points per game. Over the last 5 head to head meetings, the Grizzlies have averaged 119 points per game compared to 112 for Milwaukee. This has led to an ATS record of 4-1 for Memphis. A combined average of 231 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

This season, the Milwaukee offense is ranked 16th in the NBA in scoring at 112.6 points per game. The Bucks come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 13.0 made 3’s per game. If the Milwaukee offense is going to improve, they would benefit from attacking the basket and generating looks at the line. So far, they are ranked just 20th in made free-throws per game.

Currently, the Bucks defense is ranked 19th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 112.13 points per game vs the unit.

A key injury to note in this game is the absence of the Bucks 2nd leading scorer, Jrue Holiday. In his 21 games, Holiday is averaging 19.1 points per game while dishing out 7.4 assists and grabbing 5.3 rebounds. In his absence, the team will be looking for even more production out of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who leads the team and is 3rd in the NBA at 31.1 points per contest. For the season, he has connected on 53.0% of his field goal attempts while taking 23.9% of the team’s shots from the floor.

Coming into today’s action, Memphis is averaging 115.5 points per contest. This figure places them 8th in the league. In terms of pace, the Grizzlies are on the top units in the NBA, averaging 100.7 possessions per game. Thus far, the team’s faced paced style of play has helped their overall numbers, as they are currently the 5th team in made field goals per contest.

Defensively, the Grizzlies are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 109.93 points per contest (12th).

Point-Guard Ja Morant currently leads the Grizzlies at 27.7 points per game. For the season, he is 6th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 22.8% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Morant is averaging 6.6 boards and 7.8 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 20th ranked defense at defending point-guards. Dillon Brooks enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 24 games, he is averaging 17.7 and is 271st in the league in player efficiency rating.