NBA Betting Preview Memphis @ Minnesota

BetOnline NBA Basketball Betting Odds: MINNESOTA -2, Total 197

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* MEM is 7-2-1 ATS in its last ten games

* MEM has lost five of its last six games SU

* MEM has played 15 of its last 23 games OVER the total

* MEM has covered two of its last eight road games

* MEM has lost nine of its last ten road games SU

* MEM has played six of its last seven road games OVER the total

* MINN has covered five of its last 17 games

* MINN has lost 14 of its last 15 games SU

* MINN has played four of its last six games OVER the total

* MINN has covered one of its last nine home games

* MINN has lost its last nine home games SU

* MINN has played four of its last six home games UNDER the total

Also…

* MEM has covered five of the last six meetings

* MEM has won 10 of the last 14 meetings SU

* Four of the last six meetings have gone UNDER the total

* MEM has covered five of the last six meetings as the road team

* MEM has won four of the last six meetings SU as the road team

* Fourteen of the last 19 meetings in Minneapolis have gone OVER the total

* MEM has made more three-pointers in eight of the last ten meetings

Maybe Glen Taylor thought stripping Kevin McHale of his deal-making duties and putting him on the bench as the T-Wolves’ interim coach was going to light a fire under the former Boston Celtics great. However, it seems more like the demotion has sucked some of the life out of McHale, which in turn has had a negative impact, if that was possible, on the team’s fortunes. The Wolves had lost 13 games in a row before finally scoring a resounding win over the New York Knicks last Friday. But 24 hours later, it was back to the same old ineptitude, this time at the Target Center, where Minnesota fell tot he Orlando Magic by 24 points, as forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis combined for 50 points. Minnesota shot 41% in that game.

That’s the thing; neither the T-Wolves nor the Grizzlies play very much defense (Minnesota allows 47.4%, with Memphis at 47.5%), but Memphis has much more in the way of offensive firepower right now, with O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay teaming up for about 40 points a game. If these two clubs are works in progress, Memphis is showing more progress fighting tooth-and-nail with good teams like San Antonio, which it stretched into double overtime at the AT&T Center on Saturday night before going down to a disappointing 106-103 defeat. Marc Iavaroni is one of those struggling NBA coaches who got off to a bad start but did NOT get canned (it’s a short list), and he has his team playing hard most nights.

This is an opportunity to play in a winnable game. Minnesota has shown no home court advantage whatsoever, losing its last nine games at the Target, securing just one cover in the process. Even the Clippers came in and beat them by 23 points. For what it’s worth, Memphis has edges in the technical numbers in this series, covering five of the last six meetings. Things are looking worse and worse in Minneapolis; many people are losing their patience with McHale and what he’s done, and those who aren’t are laying the blame at Taylor’s feet. Whatever the case, it is wise right now to take the points against this crew, and Memphis is playing like there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. We take the Grizzlies, the two-point underdog in the BetOnline Sportsbook NBA pro basketball sports betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: MEMPHIS +2 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay of http://www.ebookies.com makes his share of shots from downtown as a contributor to the BetOnline Locker Room)