Pelicans vs Grizzlies

Memphis leans on Jaren Jackson Jr. at home with the Grizzlies sitting 18-23 and hovering just outside the West Play-In while the Pelicans limp in at 10-35 and dead last in the conference. basketball-reference.com Both teams are cold Memphis 3-7, New Orleans 2-8 over their last 10, but the Pelicans’ 3-17 road mark and bottom-tier defense make it hard to trust them outright even at +180. clutchpoints.com Memphis is severely short-handed again with Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Scotty Pippen Jr. all listed out, while New Orleans is missing Dejounte Murray and Jose Alvarado and could be without Herb Jones, so this shapes up as Jackson’s game to control on both ends. espn.com Jackson has historically produced well against the Pelicans around 18.5 points, 5.3 boards and 2.5 blocks per game in the matchup, and with Memphis still motivated by realistic Play-In hopes while New Orleans is already buried in the standings, laying the -220 moneyline on the home side is justified despite the injury tax and modest value, earning a solid B grade. statmuse.com Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/01/2026 09:51

Zion Williamson and a Pelicans defense giving up 122.2 points per game with a bottom-three defensive rating head into FedExForum against a Grizzlies team scoring 115.1 and allowing 116.0 per night at a top-10 pace, which naturally pushes this total toward the high side. Even with Ja Morant sidelined again and several Memphis role players out, the Grizzlies still play fast under Tuomas Iisalo, and New Orleans’ guard injuries Dejounte Murray and Jose Alvarado out, Herb Jones banged up further weaken an already porous perimeter defense while leaving more offensive responsibility on Zion, Jordan Poole and Trey Murphy. The Pelicans have been living in shootouts lately and just gave up 119 to Houston, while Memphis recently hung 126 on Orlando, so a 235.5 number is high but reasonable for two teams with shaky defenses, mid-tier offenses and league-average-or-better pace; I lean to the Over at -110 with a B- grade given the variance introduced by Morant’s absence and the potential for late-game garbage-time scoring swings. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/01/2026 09:51

New Orleans backers are catching +5.5 in Memphis against a Grizzlies squad that’s just 18-23 overall, 9-12 at home and still missing Morant, Aldama, Jerome, Edey, Clarke and Pippen, leaving Jackson to carry a thin rotation. The Pelicans are undeniably bad at 10-35, but they’ve gone 2-8 in their last 10 with enough offensive punch from Zion, Poole and Murphy to stay within single digits even when overmatched, and Memphis has weirdly struggled to put away weaker teams, going just 4-17 against opponents under .500. With the Grizzlies fighting to climb into the Play-In mix and the Pelicans effectively out of the playoff picture, motivation favors the home side, yet the combination of Memphis’ depleted depth, New Orleans’ mid-tier offense, and the Grizzlies’ tendency to play close games makes the +5.5 more attractive than laying -5.5, though the Pelicans’ volatility keeps this at a C+ value play rather than something stronger. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/01/2026 09:51