Thunder at Grizzlies Game 3 NBA Playoff Odds

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The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies will tip off Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series Saturday, May 7 at 5:00 PM ET at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. ESPN will have the coverage.

After getting thoroughly beaten in Game 1, the Thunder managed to bounce back with a 111-102 win to salvage a split at home. Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, which has lost four of six against the Grizzlies this season, Game 3 is in Memphis where the Grizz are 3-0 in the playoffs.

NBA odds makers believe Memphis will remain unbeaten at home, listing it as a 3-point favorite with the total set at 200 for Game 3.

Memphis didn’t look like an 8-seed when it took out 1-seed San Antonio in six games and it didn’t look like one when it crushed Oklahoma City 114-101 in Game 1.

The Thunder made a move to bring in Kendrick Perkins prior to the trade deadline to help them match up better inside, but Perkins could do little to stop Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in Game 1. The two Memphis bigs combined for 54 points and 23 rebounds while helping their team outscore Oklahoma City 52-38 in the paint.

The Thunder knew they needed to limit Memphis’ points in the paint in order to win Game 2 and that’s exactly what they did. Serge Ibaka and Perkins were instrumental in holding Randolph and Gasol to a total of 28 points as Oklahoma City outscored Memphis 38-34 down low.

“They attacked us and they were determined that they weren’t going to let Marc and Zach beat them,” Grizzlies forward Sam Young said. “They came out and every time Zach got the ball, they put so much pressure on them and contained him. Every time Marc got the ball, they made sure to bump him and pounded him and pounded him and it paid off.”

In addition to winning the battle of points in the paint, the Thunder also won the battle of benches with a 48-29 edge. James Harden and Erik Maynor combined for 36 of the bench points.

The team that is able to win these two facets of the game throughout the series will have an excellent chance to move on to the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder got a scare from Ibaka, who led the NBA in blocked shots during the regular season. He left Game 2 with a right knee injury with just over two minutes remaining, which was sustained by hitting the floor hard after fouling Memphis point guard Mike Conley. Fortunately for Oklahoma City, it appears Ibaka will be able to go Saturday.

“We’ve got three days off,” Ibaka said, “so I hope to be OK.”  Current reports have him listed as probable.

Memphis is now 33-11 straight up and 29-14 against the spread in all home games this season. It is winning these games by an average of 7.3 points. However, Oklahoma City is an impressive 54-33 against the number as a road underdog under coach Scott Brooks.

Jimmy Boyd’s expert NBA picks have been the most lucrative NBA betting releases in the industry over the last three years. Now is the time for you to find out what all this buzz is about.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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