Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers Picks, Predictions: Memphis Favored in Portland

Top NBA picks for the Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers matchup on November 2.

Philip Wood

Last Updated: September 11, 2024 2:44 PM EDT • 4 minute read

The Portland Trail Blazers will be without star point guard Damian Lillard on Wednesday night. With Lillard’s absence, the Memphis Grizzlies are small road favorites. Read on for our top Grizzlies-Trail Blazers picks.

The Trail Blazers enter Wednesday's matchup at 5-1 for the season and they sit atop the Western Conference standings. However, they will be without their leading scorer in Lillard on Wednesday night, as he deals with a calf issue.

The Grizzlies are 4-3 after losing back-to-back games to the Utah Jazz. They have yet to defeat a team above .500 this season. The teams they have defeated have a combined record of 8-20 up to this point.

Here are our Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies NBA picks for Wednesday (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, PointsBet, and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies Game Info

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 2, 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Moda Center, Portland, OR

Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies Odds

Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies Odds Analysis

The Grizzlies opened as 4-point favorites, and the line has moved to 4.5 at most major sportsbooks. It’s no surprise to see this line moving in favor of the Grizzlies with Lillard out, and it should continue to move as tipoff approaches. According to Pregame.com, an overwhelming majority of bettors are backing the Grizzlies to cover the spread.

As for the total, the number has dropped slightly from 227 to 226.5. Despite strong support for the Under, the number has stayed put for a while, and it doesn’t look like it is going to drop much further.

Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies Picks

Spread: Grizzlies -4.5 (-107 via PointsBet)
Over/Under: Under 226.5 (-110 via DraftKings)
Prop: Jusuf Nurkic Over 15.5 points (-102 via FanDuel)

Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies ATS Pick

Grizzlies -4.5 (-107) ★★★★

This will be the Trail Blazers’ second game without Lillard. They won their last time out, defeating the Houston Rockets 125-111 as 4.5-point favorites. While that win was a good sign for the Trail Blazers, they are about to play a much more competitive team in the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Grizzlies surely would have been underdogs if Lillard was playing, but with him out, they could easily win this game by double-digits. However, it is hard to trust the Grizzlies this season. They just lost back-to-back games to the Jazz who do not have a superstar player, and their wins have been against the worst teams in the league.

Yet, with a healthy Morant averaging 33.3 points per game, and with the Trail Blazers missing 31 points in Lillard’s absence, there is no reason Memphis shouldn’t win this game running away.

Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies O/U Pick

Under 226.5 (-110) ★★★

The Grizzlies are the third-highest-scoring team in the NBA, averaging 118.1 points per game this season. This has made them a solid Over play thus far, with five of their seven games cashing the Over.

However, the Trail Blazers, even with Lillard, are 14th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 115.3 points per game. They also boast a top-10 scoring defense that's allowing just 110.5 points per game.

The Grizzlies have the worst scoring defense in the league, but without Lillard, the Trail Blazers are going to have to try to slow this game down in order to compete with the high-scoring Grizzlies. The Trail Blazers have the defense to keep this one close. Their offense will score, but it’s unlikely that they get out of the low 100s.

Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies Prop Pick

Nurkic Over 15.5 points (-102) ★★★

Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic has been an inconsistent scorer this season, failing to post double-figure performances in back-to-back games up this point. Against Houston, he scored 27 points, which, if his trends hold, means he’s in for a low-scoring game on Wednesday.

However, without Lillard in the lineup, Nurkic put up a season-high 17 shots and made a season-high 12. Lillard is out again Wednesday, which means Nurkic is going to be much more involved in the offensive scheme. Add to that, Grizzlies big man Steven Adams is questionable Wednesday. Even if he plays, he likely won’t see his usual minutes, which is great news for Nurkic.

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Grizzlies-Trail Blazers picks made 11/02/2022 at 12:22 p.m. ET.

Written by:
Philip Wood

Phil has covered sports betting since 2016, and he has been with SportsBook Review since 2022. He previously hosted the College Football Pick 'Em podcast for CanesInsight.com. He is always looking for value, especially on lines that just seem too good to be true. His belief is that if a line doesn't make sense just assume oddsmakers know something you don't. He also loves in-season futures. There is so much value to be had as the public overreacts weekly. Bettors tend to forget just how long NFL and college football seasons are. After all, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5 in 2023 and they made it to the Divisional Round. When deciding where to bet, it comes down to value over everything. +100 is always better than -110. An alumnus of The U, Phil always holds out hope that the next head coach will be the one who turns the football program around. He is also a diehard Detroit Lions fan and is willing to forgive Dan Campbell for forgetting that a kicker can be useful.