The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies both took care of business as higher seeds in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. In round two, they will both face much tougher challenges, as they face one another for the right to play in the Western Conference Finals. In our NBA picks for Sunday afternoon, we look at Warriors vs Grizzlies Game 1 as both teams look to set the tone in Tennessee.
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Warriors vs Grizzlies Game 1 Betting Pick
This game will be played at FedEx Forum at 3:30 PM ET on Sunday, May 1, 2022.
Why Bet The Grizzlies:
✅ The Memphis Grizzlies have a much better matchup in the second round than they did in the first round. They will not have to worry about scoring from bigs the way they did against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole are dangerous from the outside, the Grizzlies should be able to capitalize on being able to focus on perimeter defense in this matchup.
✅ How the Warriors are going to defend Ja Morant in this series is something of a mystery. Curry is not quite the best defender, and dedicating Klay Thompson to him would free up Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks. Golden State also lacks the rim protection that the Timberwolves had to build a wall at the basket, and Morant should perform better in this series than he did in the first round.
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✅ Both teams come into this game with similar rest, as the Warriors clinched their series victory just a day before the Grizzlies did theirs. With relatively equal rest and a decent matchup on their home floor, there is some value in taking Memphis as a home underdog against a trendy pick in Golden State.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors made relatively quick work of the Denver Nuggets, beating them in five games to advance to the second round of the playoffs. In that series, Jordan Poole had a coming out party in the first three games, while the duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson helped bring the Warriors home. In the opening game of the second round, the Warriors will look to steal home court advantage by slowing down the electric offense of the Grizzlies.
Golden State has several standout defenders like Klay Thompson and Draymond Green that they will look to use to keep the Grizzlies in check. But the big question coming into this series is how the Warriors will defend Ja Morant. Point guard may be the weakest point in the Warriors’ defensive setup, which could cost the Warriors dearly in Game 1.
Memphis Grizzlies
It was anything but easy, but the Memphis Grizzlies managed to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games to advance to the second round of the postseason. Memphis came back from three double-digit deficits to win four of their six games against Minnesota. Against the Warriors, the Grizzlies will not be able to afford to fall behind in a similar fashion given all of the experience on Steve Kerr’s team.
Fortunately for the Grizzlies, the Warriors are a much better matchup than the Timberwolves were. The Warriors do not have the same interior scoring prowess that the Timberwolves did, which should relieve some pressure on the Memphis defense. Whether or not that is enough to make up for the shooting of Golden State remains to be seen.