The Memphis Grizzlies look to avoid elimination when they visit the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of their best-of-seven first round series. The Jazz lost Game 1 112-109, with Donovan Mitchell (plus-4.1 Offensive Box Plus/Minus) out with an ankle injury. Mitchell returned in Game 2 and the Jazz prevailed 141-129. Then, they recovered home court advantage by winning Game 3 121-111 in Memphis and last Monday they beat the Grizzlies 120-113. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 30 points and eight assists, Jordan Clarkson had 24 points off the bench and Rudy Gobert added 17 points and eight rebounds. The X-factor has been Royce O’Neale, he was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and now he’s made 12 of his 21 3-point attempts (57.14 percent) in this series.
The Jazz were the league’s best 3-point shooters in the regular season, making 16.7 per game and they finished with 17. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 23 points, Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points apiece and De’Anthony Melton finished with 15 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Melton has proven his ability to impact a game and he will likely get more playing time in Game 5, which will take place on Wednesday at 9:30 PM ET at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dafanews Picks
Team to Win (Regular Time)
• Memphis Grizzlies: +425
• Utah Jazz: -550
Spread
• Memphis Grizzlies: +10.5
• Utah Jazz: -10.5
Total
• Over 226
• Under 226
Key Points to Consider
The Jazz really have it all. A floor general in Mike Conley, rim protection in Rudy Gobert, 3-and-D guys like Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale, a hooper off the bench in Jordan Clarkson and they’re well-coached and play hard. They will go as far as Mitchell takes them. What level can he take his game to?
Speaking of high level, after averaging 33.7 points in the first three games of the series, the Jazz neutralized Ja Morant a bit. Morant still played well but he set the bar too high and the Grizzlies need him to really go off if they want to keep their season alive.
The Jazz are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games, 1-4 ATS in their last five playoff games as a favorite and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning straight up record. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 Wednesday games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog.
Projected Leaders
For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell is projected to finish with 23.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds, making 8.2 field goals in 18.3 attempts.
For the Grizzlies, Ja Morant is expected to score 28.5 points with 7.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds, making 11.2 field goals in 19.1 attempts.
Analyst’s Pick
Grizzlies +10.5.
Three-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend pick on the Grizzlies in this one. Average score in simulations is Memphis Grizzlies 118.5 to Utah Jazz 112.5.
