The Memphis Grizzlies (4-0) visit the Portland Trail Blazers (3-0) on Thursday night in a matchup between two of the NBA's last three unbeaten teams. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET at the Moda Center, where Portland is a 7.5-point home favorite with an over/under of 232.5 points.
Morant's Return to Memphis
Ja Morant, traded from Memphis to Portland in June for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, will face his former team for the first time. The 27-year-old guard has fit in as a team player, averaging 16.3 points on 58.8% shooting and 6.3 assists. He is projected at 18.4 points and 5.9 assists for Thursday's game, with a points-plus-assists over/under of 24.5.
Blazers' High-Powered Offense
Portland leads the NBA in scoring at 129.3 points per game, made field goals (45.7 per game), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.24). The backcourt pairs Morant with Damian Lillard, who missed last season due to injury and is averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Forward Deni Avdija adds 22.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. The Blazers have won three of the last four meetings and the past three at home.
Grizzlies' Surprising Start
Memphis has started 4-0 despite trading Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. (to Utah last season). Journeyman guard Ty Jerome, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, has carried the offense with 29.8 points per game — far above his career 9.7 average. Jerome leads the NBA in second-half scoring (19.0) and fourth-quarter scoring (10.0) among players with at least three games. The Grizzlies have led at halftime in all four games and outshot opponents from three-point range (39.1% to 32.4%). However, their opponents have all been under .500, and Memphis benefited from injuries to Utah's Jackson and Lauri Markkanen in a 110-105 win on Monday.
Betting Trends and Model Projection
Portland is attracting 86% of the money and 82% of tickets at -7.5, while the over on 232.5 points is also heavily backed. The predictive model favors the Blazers by a 117-111 score. Memphis is on the final leg of a four-game road trip and has not swept a trip of four or more games since November 2013.
