NBA Betting: Grizzlies vs. 76ers | MVP Candidates Face-Off

The new betting favorite to win the NBA MVP Award is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and he will face off with another MVP candidate in the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant on Monday in the top NBA game of the night. The Sixers are short favorites on the NBA odds.

How to Bet Memphis at Philadelphia NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 7 PM ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: 76ers -3.5 (total 219 points)

First Meeting

On Dec. 13, the Grizzlies smashed the Sixers 126-91. Dillon Brooks scored 23 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22, De’Anthony Melton finished with 15 points and Tyus Jones scored 13 for Memphis, making all but one of his seven shots. Brooks is currently out injured. Star Ja Morant didn’t play for the Grizzlies but is fine now. Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 23 points, and Charles Bassey added 13 and 10 rebounds. Shake Milton and Tobias Harris ended up with 12 points each. Philadelphia played without Seth Curry and center Joel Embiid. They are both back now.

Why Bet on Memphis?

The Grizzlies won their third game in a row Saturday, 115-95 over Washington. Ja Morant continued his red-hot play with a game-high 34 points while adding three rebounds, two assists, one steal and just one turnover in 34 minutes. Morant has scored at least 30 points in six straight games, four of which were Memphis victories.

Steven Adams had 10 points and 15 rebounds. Adams double-doubled for the seventh time this season and 10 of his rebounds came on the offensive end. Kyle Anderson returned to action in Saturday’s win over the Wizards, coming off the bench for four points, nine rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes. Anderson had missed five games in protocols. John Konchar got the starting nod in place of Ziaire Williams (knee) and had seven points and 10 rebounds. Williams is no longer listed on the injury report ahead of Monday’s game. Backup Tyus Jones (health and safety protocols) is questionable for Monday’s game. He has missed the past six.

Jaren Jackson Jr. leads the NBA in blocks (3.57) in the month of January. Jackson Jr. is the first player in franchise history to register 50 blocks in a single calendar month and is the first NBA player with 50+ rejections in a month since Hassan Whiteside had 56 for Portland in January 2020.

The Grizzlies are 12-3 in the month of January after going 12-4 in December. It’s the first time the team has ever had 12 wins in consecutive calendar months. The Grizzlies are one of five teams to rank in the NBA top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating, joining Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

Memphis is 16-6 this season in “clutch” situations, when the scoring margin is +/- 5 points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. Memphis has the second-best “clutch” winning percentage (.727) in the league.

Why Bet on Philadelphia?

The Sixers won their fourth in a row Saturday, 103-101 over Sacramento. New MVP favorite Joel Embiid, playing in his 21st straight contest, had 36 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. He made 10 of 18 field goals, including 2 of 5 3-pointers, and 14 of 18 free throws. Embiid, who was elected as a starter for the All-Star Game for the fifth straight season, finished as MVP runner-up last season but is now the one to beat. Embiid has scored at least 25 points in 17 straight games.

“He’s part Shaq (O’Neal), part (Hakeem) Olajuwon, part whatever you want to say,” Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry said.

In his first 16 minutes on the floor, Embiid shot 1-5 from the field, scoring most of his 12 points from the free-throw line. As Embiid drew aggressive defensive looks from the Kings, it seemed Sacramento found a way to slow the All-Star down. However, second-half changes unlocked the big man and helped the Sixers rally from a 17-point hole.

“[I was] just being aggressive,” explained Embiid, regarding his second-half changes. “They just kept coming and coming and coming. So I think the difference in the second half was just getting into different positions and then also attack off the dribble. I thought as a team, we did a good job of executing and getting stops. And offensively just executing. And they gave me a lot of space to do what I do best.”

Seth Curry (left ankle soreness) returned from a four-game absence, going 3-of-10 from the field for eight points. Curry is having a fine year in his second season with the 76ers, including averaging a career-high 15.6 points per game along with a 50.9% clip from the field, which also marks a career best. Tobias Harris had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Furkan Korkmaz is listed as questionable for Monday’s game. After starting and playing more than 30 minutes in four consecutive contests, Korkmaz moved back to the bench for Saturday’s win and saw a steep reduction in playing time (16 minutes) with Curry checking back into the lineup. Backup guard Shake Milton remains out with a back injury.

Game Trends

Grizzlies are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up win.
Grizzlies are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Grizzlies are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS win.
76ers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
76ers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Philadelphia.