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NBA weekend betting preview: Grizzlies officially on the map

Joe Murphy / National Basketball Association / Getty

Nine games pepper Friday's NBA slate to help us roll into the weekend. If you're planning to get in on the action, don't do so without keeping these angles in mind.

Grizzlies @ Knicks (-1, 215)
April 9, 7:30 p.m. ET

Here come the Grizzlies.

The 200-1 long shots are firing on all cylinders, going 8-3 straight up and 10-1 against the spread over the last 11 games. Memphis now sits 26-23 overall with a two-game edge on the Spurs for the eighth seed in the Western Conference - despite playing the fifth-toughest schedule in the NBA.

Next up for the Grizzlies are the Knicks, who have also exceeded expectations in 2020-21. New York was the first team past its win total this season and enters the weekend holding the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed.

But unlike the Grizzlies' slate, the Knicks' schedule has been cake; their opponents' combined win percentage is just .491, the fifth-lowest mark in basketball.

With New York 0-3-1 against the spread in its last four as a 'dog, play the red-hot Grizzlies.

Pistons @ Trail Blazers (N/A)
April 10, 10:00 p.m. ET

When will the Trail Blazers come back down to earth? Probably sooner than later.

While the franchise has worked its way up the crowded West ladder to the No. 6 seed at 30-21, bettors should be pump the brakes heading forward: Among the 10 best teams in the NBA, none has overperformed more than Portland.

Team W-L Record Expected W-L Record
Jazz 39-13 42-10
Suns 36-15 37-14
Nets 36-16 35-17
76ers 35-16 35-16
Clippers 35-18 39-14
Nuggets 33-18 35-16
Bucks 32-19 35-16
Lakers 32-20 34-18
Trail Blazers 30-21 25-26
Mavericks 29-22 29-22

The Pistons are a noteworthy 28-23-1 ATS this season - not too shabby for a squad that's a conference-worst 16-36 overall. Detroit has fared well in the spoiler role, too, covering eight of the last 11 as a road 'dog.

Don't be surprised if the Pistons give the Blazers some fits.

Pelicans @ Cavaliers (N/A)
April 11, 7:00 p.m. ET

No team cashes overs at a more consistent rate than the Pelicans. They're the NBA leaders at 34-17, hitting 13 of the last 18 on the road and each of the last five overall. Expect the good times to keep rolling when New Orleans travels to take on the Cavaliers.

Cleveland's offense has floundered in spurts. The unit scored 98 points or fewer in three straight back in mid-March, then averaged a paltry 88.3 over a separate four-game stint a few weeks later.

But things are finally are starting to look up.

The Cavaliers are 3-0 to both the over and the team total across their last three as the offense averages 118.3 per contest. They've posted 125 points or more in back-to-back outings and should get cooking against New Orleans' league-worst 3-point shooting defense.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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