Jazz vs Grizzlies

Memphis leans on Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to keep a modest upswing going at home, where recent wins over New Orleans, Sacramento and a 119-96 demolition of Portland have steadied them after a rough start, while Utah has only briefly halted its skid with high-effort home victories over the Kings and Rockets. Even with Zach Edey now sidelined again and the Grizzlies’ frontcourt depth stretched, Utah’s own injury issues — notably Walker Kessler’s season-ending shoulder surgery and Georges Niang’s absence — leave Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George carrying a heavy load against a Grizzlies core that dominated this matchup three times last season. Given Memphis’ superior on-ball creation with Morant, the defensive playmaking of Jackson and a deeper perimeter rotation, the Grizzlies moneyline is the logical side, but the heavy -278 juice and frontcourt injuries cap the value, so this grades as a B: fairly strong likelihood, middling payout. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/12/2025 09:47

Utah’s scoring punch with Markkanen and George has turned their recent games into track meets — 247 total points against Sacramento, 258 against Houston and 251 in a loss at Golden State — while Memphis has played its own share of shootouts, from a 133-128 overtime win in New Orleans to a 115-107 road victory in Sacramento and a 119-96 home blowout of Portland. With Kessler out, the Jazz are smaller, switch more and surrender cleaner looks at the rim and from three, and the Grizzlies’ interior is also compromised without Edey and Brandon Clarke, pushing them toward more five-out spacing and pace rather than grind-it-out halfcourt possessions. Last year’s meetings regularly produced comfortable double-digit Grizzlies wins with big numbers from Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane against largely the same Jazz core, suggesting this styles clash still favors offense; the risk is simply that cold shooting or a banged-up Morant drags the tempo down, so Over 240.5 earns a B- for upside in a high-total environment but elevated variance. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/12/2025 09:47

The Grizzlies’ supporting cast — Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, Santi Aldama and veteran shooter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — has quietly driven several recent double-digit wins, and against a Jazz team still struggling on the road and missing its best rim protector in Kessler, Memphis has a realistic path to stretching this out again as Morant and Jackson hunt mismatches against Utah’s young backcourt of George, Isaiah Collier and Ace Bailey. Memphis controlled this series last season with margins of 12, 19 and 37 points thanks to defensive length on Utah’s guards and relentless paint pressure, and although the current frontcourt health (no Edey or Clarke) and Morant’s recent calf issue introduce real volatility — especially against a Jazz group that can bomb backdoor threes late — the talent gap plus home floor still tilt slightly toward the Grizz covering -7 more often than not. With injury uncertainty and three-happy variance working against a blowout script, this sits at a B-: reasonable edge, but not enough confidence to push it higher. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/12/2025 09:47