The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors will meet late on Monday night out in an interesting contest featuring two Western Conference teams trending in opposite directions. 

After a hot start to the season, the wheels have started to come off for the Grizzlies. They've lost two in a row, and six of their last 10 games, and are now hanging on to a playoff spot by just half a game in the crowded West. 

As for the Warriors, they're 7-3 over their last 10 games, and have shaken off some November drama to climb back to the top of the conference. Entering Monday's meeting with the Grizzlies, they're just half a game out of first place. 

How to watch Grizzlies at Warriors

  • Date: Monday, Dec. 17
  • Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Oracle Arena -- Oakland, California
  • TV: NBA TV
  • Streaming: fuboTV (free trial - NBA TV add-on available)
  • Live stats: GameTracker
  • Odds: Warriors -11

Odds and analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.

Storylines

Grizzlies: It was a surprise to see the Grizzlies get off to such a great start this season, and now we're seeing that it might have been a bit of a mirage. With Mike Conley and Marc Gasol healthy, they're always going to be competitive, but they probably aren't actually one of the West's best squads. The road trip they begin on Monday night against the Warriors will be a stout test for this team, as they'll face not only some strong opponents, but other teams fighting for limited playoff spots. 

Warriors: What a difference a month makes. This time in November, the Warriors were dealing with locker room drama between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, Steph Curry's injury, and their longest losing streak under head coach Steve Kerr -- four games. Since then they've gone 8-3 and are right back at the top of the West. Steph Curry is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and everything looks just fine in Oakland. 

Game prediction, pick

These kind of games with the Warriors are tricky. Clearly they should be able to beat the Grizzlies at home, but an 11-point spread is right about where things get difficult. Will the Warriors care enough to really blow out the Grizzlies, or just do enough to get the win? You never really know what you're going to get with the Dubs in the regular season. We'll try to split the difference this time around, and take the Warriors to win, but the Grizzlies to cover the 11 point-spread. A feisty Grizzlies team is unlikely to give up and let the Warriors run them out of the gym.