Grizzlies vs Celtics Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: C's Pile Up the Points

How does a team with championship aspirations respond when it gets punched in the mouth? That’s the question on most people’s minds after the Boston Celtics dropped their previous game, at home, to the Lakers sans LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Celtics have been accused of frontrunning in the past, and looking shakier when things get tough. They can’t undo that perception all in one night, but cruising to a comfortable win over the injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, February 4 would be a step in the right direction.

The NBA odds are just about as lopsided in this game as you’ll ever see. Read on to see where I’m looking for value in a game that has blowout written all over it.

My free NBA picks for the Grizzlies vs. Celtics on February 4 expect Boston to be motivated to run up the score.

Grizzlies vs Celtics odds

Grizzlies vs Celtics predictions

Following their loss to the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked by reporters if he felt his team should be embarrassed for the upset defeat.

He swiftly rejected the premise. But whether they felt embarrassed or not, players like Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday have immense pride and a loss like that surely stings.

The best medicine is to turn around and put in a quality performance next time out, no matter the opponent. That’s in part why I expect them to have a strong offensive outing against the Memphis Grizzlies this evening.

Despite missing a good 80% of their rotation, the Grizzlies have managed to stick to their defensive principles. They’re just outside the Top 10 in defensive rating for the year and have been playing at a Top 5 level for a few weeks now. As such, the expected team total for Boston in this game is relatively modest.

But I don’t think that defensive rating will mean much in this game.

Jaren Jackson Jr. gets a lot of heat for the things he doesn’t do as a player, but he’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for good reason. He’s an outstanding shot blocker and rim deterrent and is as good at switching onto opposing wings as any big in the NBA not named Bam Adebayo. JJJ is the central reason the Grizzlies are still sound on that side of the ball.

And he’s out for Sunday’s game due to a hip injury. That’s a massive blow to what remained of Memphis' defensive integrity.

The Grizzlies have other good defenders including Vince Williams Jr. (though even he’s officially questionable) but the Celtics are healthy outside of possibly missing Jaylen Brown. They simply have too many weapons to be slowed by the Grizz if they’re fully engaged.

Given the gutting loss they just suffered to one undermanned team they should be locked in enough to eclipse this mark.

My best bet: Celtics team total Over 118.5 points (-125 at DraftKings) No-sweat promo available

Grizzlies vs Celtics same-game parlay

Celtics team total Over 118.5

Kristaps Porzingis Over 1.5 made threes

Porzingis Over 1.5 blocks

+340 at DraftKings

Kristaps Porzingis has fit hand in glove with the Celtics starters. His spacing and quick release have made him their go-to offensive release valve, and in turn, he’s having the most efficient season of his career. 

He went through a bit of a dry spell before the New Year in terms of his 3-point shooting percentage, but since then he’s been red hot. Since January 1 he’s shooting 41.1% from deep, totaling just shy of two makes per game. 

With Jaren out, Memphis will be defending KP with a traditional and yet undersized big. He’ll have plenty of clean looks to cash this prop. 

The Grizzlies' spacing will also be next to non-existent in Jaren’s absence, which means Memphis will be making ill-fated forays to the basket a lot in this game. The beauty of KP as a player is he provides spacing on offense and neutralizes opponent paint attacks on defense. 

He’s one of the NBA’s premier shot blockers. Porzingis’ 3% block rate puts him in the 88th percentile among all bigs per Cleaning the Glass and he’s averaging 2.4 blocks over his last five games.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Grizzlies vs Celtics spread and Over/Under analysis

The spread for Sunday’s game is one of the largest lines of the season, with the Celtics opening between -15 and -17 point favorites at home. That’s settled at between -15.5 and -16.5 at most sportsbooks in the time since.

Memphis continues to show fight despite being massive underdogs in just about every contest. That’s seen it be strong against the spread despite all the losing. The Grizz are 7-3 ATS in their last 10, and over the past two weeks are outperforming the spread by an average of 4.9 points per game.

Oddsmakers are expecting a defensively minded game, with the total hovering between 221.5 and 222.5. The Grizzlies have played in more Unders than any team excluding the Denver Nuggets, with 61.2% of their games going Under so far this season.

Missing JJJ is a blow to their defense, but he’s also their offensive fulcrum with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane out of the lineup. That’s why I’m going with the Celtics team total in his absence rather than a straight Over.  

It’s easy to see how Jaren’s absence will lower Memphis' defensive ceiling, but it might also be the case he drops its offensive floor a comparable amount.

Covers community NBA picks

Grizzlies vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Grizzlies are 7-3 ATS in their last 10. Find more NBA betting trends for Grizzlies vs. Celtics.

Grizzlies vs Celtics game info

Grizzlies vs Celtics latest injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic