Memphis vs San Antonio: Stability is important over the distance, but experience matters in key games

The Grizzlies and Spurs will battle it out at the FedExForum in Memphis for the right to compete for the playoffs. The winner of the clash will face the loser of the Golden State-Lakers pairing. Needless to say, the play-in format for the 9-10 spots only calls for 1 game. So, for San Antonio and Memphis, a head-to-head encounter is the only way to extend their season. Who will come out on top?

The final game of the regular season allowed the Grizzlies to climb the standings and have a chance to make a mistake in the play-in. The only problem was beating Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors, by the way, the best team in the conference in the last 20 games. Of course, the Grizzlies couldn’t do it. Taylor Jenkins’s squad bounced back from a -17 deficit in the 4th quarter, but the Warriors regained the lead handily. Steph Curry’s 46 points, 101-13 - the Grizzlies stayed in 9th place, which isn’t bad either, considering the youth and inexperience of this Tennessee team. Still, the second straight season in the playoffs.

Gregg Popovich doesn’t have Tim Duncan or Kawhi Leonard at the moment - a championship is just a dream come true. With the squad that he has now, Gregg Popovich would not try to break into the playoffs. And now, the regular season has already ended, and the team with Keldon Johnson and Jakub Pöltl is still in the game. Moreover, having taken 10th place, the Spurs left behind the play-in such talented teams like Sacramento and New Orleans. He finished with 33-39, only 45.8% of wins, was 5 wins behind even from 9th place, but caught the play-in, winning exactly when it was necessary.

Memphis are a very capable team. The Tennessee team, led by Jonas Valanciunas, Jaroslav Morant and Jaren Jackson, and, more importantly, their squad of quality and, above all, young players, has shown time and again that they can compete with the league’s top teams on an equal footing. However, championship distance and elimination games are two different things. Memphis are much more stable than the Spurs over the long haul, but as the more experienced team, San Antonio have better situational awareness at key moments. Gregg Popovich has had this kind of experience hundreds of times, so he has plenty of options up his sleeve in advance. In general, just as last season, when Taylor Jenkins’ team lost to Portland, this one will be just as difficult. It is a mistake that bookmakers do not believe in San Antonio. In a game like this, where everything is decided, their chances of winning are much higher than those of the inexperienced Memphis Grizzlies. The prediction is a win for San Antonio.

• San Antonio to win at odds of around 2.50;
• San Antonio to win and Total Over 221.5 for about 4.00;
• San Antonio’s Individual Total Over 109.5 with an odds of around 1.90.