MEMPHIS vs PHOENIX 11/4/2018 Odds, Picks & Preview

The MEMPHIS and the PHOENIX will both be gunning for a victory on 11/4/2018 at 8:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs PHOENIX SUNS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Sunday, November 4, 2018
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 3.5
PREDICTION: PHOENIX , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the PHOENIX listed as 3.5 point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 211.

The Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies engaged in a spirited race to the bottom of the Western Conference standings last season, with the Suns ultimately finishing one game worse and ending up with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. The Suns, who host the Grizzlies on Sunday, are looking good for a return trip to the top of the lottery while Memphis resembles a playoff contender in the early going.

The Grizzlies are healthier than they were last season with point guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol on the floor together, but they are also building depth and versatility in a rotation that includes as many as 11 players. “I think we embody unselfishness,” Memphis coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after a 110-100 win at Utah on Friday. “We embody toughness. We may not be perfect all the time, but we find a way to grind it out. We don’t lay down. We don’t give in. We keep picking each other up. This is a really fun group to be around every day, and I think it’s becoming unique.” Phoenix is leaning on the younger players and dropped the last seven games after taking the season opener from Dallas, capped by a 107-98 home loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday. “When we do things the right way, we have good results, but we still can’t get comfortable with losing,” Suns shooting guard Devin Booker, who returned from a three-game absence (hamstring) on Friday, told reporters. “No moral victories. We have to come out with wins.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), FS Arizona (Phoenix)

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (5-2): Memphis shot 50.7 percent from the floor, including 13-of-26 from 3-point range, in Friday’s win and at least 48 percent in each of the last three contests. “Once you make shots everything gets easier,” Gasol told reporters. “Being unselfish, exploiting the pick-and-roll, mixing the rolls with pops. … I like the mindset of the guys. I like the problem-solving mindset we have now, and guys want to continue to get better.” The three-game winning streak began with a 117-96 drubbing of Phoenix at home on Oct. 27, in which the Grizzlies shot 55.7 percent.

ABOUT THE SUNS (1-7): Phoenix’s prize for winning the race to the bottom last season was the No. 1 draft pick and center Deandre Ayton, who collected 17 points and 18 rebounds in Friday’s setback. It marked the fifth double-double in eight games for Ayton, who is shooting 62.5 percent from the floor while averaging 16.9 points and 11 rebounds. Booker was a little rusty in his return on Friday and needed 20 field-goal attempts to reach 18 points but logged 36 minutes and handed out six assists.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Suns PG Isaiah Canaan (ankle) returned from a one-game absence on Friday and scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 32 minutes.

2. Memphis SF Omri Casspi (thigh) left Friday’s game and is questionable for Sunday.

3. Phoenix SF Trevor Ariza is shooting 33.8 percent from the floor and went 2-of-10 in the Oct. 27 loss at Memphis.

PREDICTION: Grizzlies 109, Suns 98

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