Best Bets Today: Pelicans vs Grizzlies Odds, Prediction, Expert Analysis in the Week 14

Assuming both play, see the Daily Line NBA, because it’s a matchup of the top two picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, when Zion Williamson and the hugely disappointing New Orleans visit, Ja Morant and the Western Conference-contending Memphis, who are solid favorites on the NBA odds.

New Orleans at Memphis: 2025 NBA Expert Analysis.

How to Bet Pelicans vs Grizzlies Odds & TV Info

NBA Moneylines: Memphis -650 / New Orleans +455
When: Friday, 8 PM ET
Where: FedEx Forum
TV: NBA TV
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app

Daily Line NBA: New Orleans Pelicans Analysis

The Pelicans were supposed to play Wednesday at home vs. Milwaukee, but the game was postponed after a historic winter storm dumped about a foot of snow in the Big Easy. The Bucks beat the weather by arriving Monday, a day earlier than usual, in the event that road conditions became safe enough to hold the game at the 18,000-seat, downtown Smoothie King Center. The NBA did not immediately announce when the Bucks-Pelicans game would be made up.

The Streak

New Orleans is playing its best basketball of the season, though, winning its fourth straight game Monday, 123-119 in OT against Utah. CJ McCollum scored six of his 45 points in overtime and the Pelicans orchestrated the largest comeback in franchise history, overcoming a 25-point deficit despite playing without forward Zion Williamson and center Yves Missi (both non-COVID illnesses). Both were iffy for Wednesday’s postponed game, but probably will play here.

Willie Green

“CJ was incredible and once he got going I thought his teammates did a great job of trying to find him,” Pelicans coach Green said. “We were drawing stuff up for him. He executed offensively over and over again. Without that effort, it’s hard for us to win that game.”

CJ McCollum

McCollum has been on fire this month, as his three best scoring performances have come in January — he had a season-high 50 points on Jan. 3 and a 38-point outing on Jan. 10. The Pelicans have won in all three of his highest scoring outputs. For the month, he’s averaging 24.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.8 three-pointers. Fellow guard Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 11 assists. Over his last eight games, Murray guard has averaged 21.4 points, 7.0 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 3.0 three-pointers per game. On the season, Murray is averaging 2.2 steals per game, which is ranked 2nd in the NBA.

Second 40-piece of the month for CJ 👀#Pelicans | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/DIH6p7LOS6

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 21, 2025

Trey Murphy

Murphy had 24 points against Utah and has made multiple 3’s in 33 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NBA and the 9th longest streak of all time. Murphy is averaging a career-high in steals per game (1.2), points per game (21.6) and rebounds (5.0).

Injuries

The team’s four-game winning streak is a season high, and New Orleans is 7-4 in January after starting the season 5-28. The Pelicans are also getting healthier, with only Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram out with injury. Jones is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, while Ingram has missed 20 straight games with a left ankle sprain. He has also been mentioned in trade rumors.

If Missi plays Friday, he is ranked 5th in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (3.6). Among all NBA rookies and sophomores, Missi is ranked 3rd in rebounds per game (8.2), only behind Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

Daily Line NBA: Memphis Grizzlies Analysis

Memphis also enters on a four-game winning streak following a 133-120 win over Charlotte on Wednesday. The Grizz were up 13 at the end of the first quarter and outscored the Hornets 40-23 in the second. The lead reached 34 in the third, enough to easily weather a 12-0 run by Charlotte to close the period. The Hornets had 14 turnovers, leading to 21 Memphis points. The Grizzlies’ 78 first-half points tied a franchise record.

Taylor Jenkins

Grizzlies head coach Jenkins was very critical of his team’s second-half performance but praised how they opened the game: “Luckily, we did enough in the first half, and we were able to survive the second half. Too many free throws. Too many lackadaisical plays. Offense, defense, turnovers. We were definitely a tale of two halves. The team in the first half is reflective of who we wanna be. Second half, not so much. Great talk in the locker room afterward, and we gotta get better. Guys were definitely very upset with our performance in the second half.”

Ja Morant

All-Star Morant had 16 points and 13 assists – one helper shy from tying his season-high mark and his ninth time this season with at least 10. Morant is averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game since the beginning of January. Desmond Bane finished with 24 points and eight assists. Bane has surpassed the 20-point plateau in six games in a row and is averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game during that run.

Luke Kennard

With a few injuries, Kennard got a few more minutes off the bench and responded with a season-high 23 points along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals – easily his best game. Kennard has scored in double digits in six of his last eight games, and his outside shooting has been a key weapon for Memphis. Over that eight-game stretch, He is averaging 12.6 points while shooting an absurd 56.1 percent from deep.

.@LukeKennard5 is tonight's Player of the Game presented by @IntlPaperCo 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NpTrWB1SYg

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 23, 2025

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Center Jackson Jr. is having a career season and that continued with 22 points and six rebounds. The likely All-Star ranks 10th in the NBA in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM) and is one of four NBA players (min. 30 games played) to rank in the 92nd percentile or higher in both Offensive EPM and Defensive EPM (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Domantas Sabonis, Victor Wembanyama). Jackson Jr. is the only qualified player averaging 20+ points per game, 1.5+ steals per game and 1.5+ blocks per game. He is the highest scoring player on the league’s highest scoring offense and also leads the NBA in Defensive FG%.

The Grizzlies have won 29 games this season, already one more than their win total from the 2023-24 season. Memphis is on pace to finish 53-29 after going 27-55 last season.

Pelicans vs Grizzlies Season Series

Memphis leads 2-0 (one more matchup after Friday) and they last met on Dec. 27 in New Orleans, with the Grizzlies prevailing 132-124. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 33 points, and Ja Morant scored 25 before leaving with a minor right shoulder injury for Memphis. The Pelicans were threatening to cut what had been a 22-point deficit to six in the third quarter when Jackson intercepted Trey Murphy’s pass. That sparked an 8–0 Grizzlies run and put the game away. Murphy III scored 35 points and CJ McCollum 32 for the Pelicans.

NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️

▪️ MIL wins 5th straight, 8-2 in L10
▪️ DEN wins 4th straight, 8-2 in L10
▪️ POR wins 3rd straight
▪️ DAL moves to 7th in West

Download the NBA App for more: https://t.co/pBKIAWOrdI pic.twitter.com/1aRbPHVOHH

— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2025

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