After winning 56 games but being eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals by the eventual champion Golden State Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies (1-0) are hungry to take the next step in 2022-23. Memphis opened its season with a 115-112 win over the Knicks on Wednesday and now will take on the Houston Rockets (0-1) on the road on Friday night. Houston won a league-worst 20 games last year and lost 117-107 to Atlanta to open the season but has an exciting young core to develop.
Tip-off from the Toyota Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Memphis is favored by 7 points in the latest Rockets vs. Grizzlies odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 232.5. Before you make any Grizzlies vs. Rockets picks and predictions, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model went on a stunning 88-60 roll on all top-rated NBA picks last season, returning over $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Grizzlies. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Grizzlies vs. Rockets:
- Rockets vs. Grizzlies spread: Grizzlies -7
- Rockets vs. Grizzlies over/under: 232.5 points
- Rockets vs. Grizzlies picks: See picks here
Why the Rockets can cover
Houston lost 117-107 against the Hawks on Wednesday night but Kevin Porter Jr. put together a strong performance in the opener with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Porter and Jalen Green give the Rockets a dynamic young guard tandem.
Green averaged 20.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists with a 59.2 true shooting percentage over his final 32 games last season while Porter managed 18.2 points, 6.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and just 2.5 turnovers per game while posting a 56.4 true shooting percentage over that same stretch. Jabari Smith had 17 points and seven rebounds in his NBA debut and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft already looks like a potential franchise cornerstone.
Why the Grizzlies can cover
Memphis had to grind out a win over the Knicks in overtime on Wednesday and it was Ja Morant leading the way for the 56-game winners in the victory. Morant had 34 points and nine assists in the triumph after averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game last year.
The Grizzlies leaned heavily on their defense down the stretch in the opening-night win, holding the Knicks to just 2-of-10 shooting from the floor in the overtime period. Taylor Jenkins' squad ranked fourth in the NBA in defensive rating (109.0) last season and it appears he's got a unit that can grind out stops when needed again this year.
How to make Grizzlies vs. Rockets picks
The model has simulated Rockets vs. Grizzlies 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning under and it's also generated a point-spread pick where one side covers in nearly 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rockets vs. Grizzlies? And which side of the spread covers nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
