Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder Win and Advance
Two key series in the Western Conference were settled last night in Game 6 as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 118-105 and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 103-94. The Thunder were one-point favorites and the Grizzlies were six-point favorites.
Grizzlies Beat Clippers
The Clippers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in this series, but the Grizzlies stormed back with their patented brand of physical, defensive basketball, led by NBA Defensive Player of the year Marc Gasol.
“Now this series is over,” Gasol said. “It’s time to enjoy tonight and be ready tomorrow. It’s a quick turnaround, so we can enjoy tonight.”
“They came out threw and everything at us,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the Clippers. “They played small. They played smaller. They pressed. They zoned. They gave hard fouls. They really competed. We held our poise. Held up mentally tough-wise and were able to get the win.”
The Clippers, meanwhile, now face an offseason of potentially huge changes, including the impending free agency of star point guard Chris Paul.
“We took too long to come to the fight,” Paul said. “We waited to Game 6 to start to play aggressively and match their intensity. I don’t even know how many free throws they shot tonight. Maybe more than the field goal attempts that we got.”
Here were some other betting trends for both squads heading into last night’s game, courtesy of OddsShark.com:
Los Angeles Clippers Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Memphis are 5-5
After playing Memphis are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
Memphis Grizzlies Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing LA Clippers are 7-3
After playing LA Clippers are 6-4
After a win are 7-3
A few Clippers at Grizzlies trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 6 games when playing on the road against Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games when playing Memphis
LA Clippers are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games
Memphis is 16-1 SU in its last 17 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis’s last 5 games
Thunder Defeat Rockets
Despite their struggles without injuried point guard Russell Westbrook, the Thunder were finally able to put away the pesky Rockets on Friday night. Kevin Martin, the player acquired from Houston in the pre-season James Harden trade, scored 25 points in 40 minutes to carry the Thunder when Kevin Durant was having trouble getting his shot to fall.
“It was just coming in there, trying to set a tone,” Martin said. “The last 48 hours after Game 5, I couldn’t even look my teammates in the eye because I felt so bad. It was going in there and playing like I have been in my career and jump-starting us to a victory.”
Here were some of the other betting trends for both teams, courtesy of OddsShark.com:
Oklahoma City Thunder Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Houston are 8-2
After a loss are 7-3
Houston Rockets Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Oklahoma City are 2-8
After playing Oklahoma City are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
A few Thunder at Rockets trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oklahoma City’s last 8 games
Oklahoma City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games when playing Houston
Oklahoma City is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston’s last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston’s last 14 games at home
Houston is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
