NBA Betting Odds – Grizzlies at Thunder Game 5

If the Thunder want to reach the Western Conference finals since their relocation from Seattle, they need to beat the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at Oklahoma City Arena at 9:30 PM ET.

NBA Betting Odds:
Memphis Grizzlies +6.5
Oklahoma City Thunder -6.5
O/U 197

Neither Oklahoma City nor Memphis have been able to win two games in a row in this series and both have dropped huge leads which lead to lost games.

The Thunder trailed by 18 in the first half of game 4 but then they rallied to take a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter.  OKC went on to beat Memphis 133-123 in a marathon triple overtime to tie the series 2-2.

OKC has to be worried why Russell Westbrook is taking more shots that star player Kevin Durant.  This team needs to put the ball in Durant’s hands and let him pick apart the Memphis D.

The last time this franchise went to the Western Conference finals was back in 1996 when they were the Seattle Super Sonics, beating the then two times champions Houston Rockets and losing against Michael Jordan’s Bulls in the finals.  A win tonight will be a step back to the franchise glory days in Seattle.

For Memphis the key will be controlling the pace of the game, especially considering they have put a 100+ points on every single match they have played against OKC.  This means to clock management and playing timely defense will be needed to get the W.

Consider these NBA betting trends:

MEMPHIS is:

• 30-13 ATS as an underdog
• 16-5 ATS against Northwest division opponents
• 7-3 ATS in all playoff games
• 31-12 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent
• 10-2 ATS off a upset loss as a favorite
• 9-2 ATS after a loss by 10 points or more

OKLAHOMA CITY is:

• 9-1 Over after a combined score of 225+ points
• 17-20 ATS after allowing 105 points or more
• 25-30 ATS versus good offensive teams – scoring 99+ points/game

Simmons’ NBA betting pick: take the Thunder to win the game but the Grizzlies will cover.