Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Pick – August 15, 2020

The Memphis Grizzlies have another chance to make the NBA playoffs as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers in the play-in of the Orlando bubble tournament.

The Blazers made it to the No. 8 seed in the West with victory over the Brooklyn Nets and now need only one win over the Grizzlies to make the cut. Memphis, on the other hand, must win two games against Portland to reach the playoffs. The tip-off is set at 2:30 PM ET.

These conference rivals have met twice this season and the series is tied at 1-1, but the Blazers already beat the Grizzlies in the Orlando bubble, 140-135 after overtime. We expect a lot of excitement in this duel, and this is my Grizzlies vs. Blazers betting pick.

The sportsbooks are giving a clear advantage to the Portland Trail Blazers here, but Memphis will not surrender without a fight, so you should think twice before backing the Blazers here.

For the latest odds for this matchup, please feel free to visit these top basketball betting sites and find more betting options available.

We can freely say that the Grizzlies poor displays in the Orlando bubble got them where they are at the moment. They needed just one more win and perhaps they wouldn’t be in this situation, but after losing six of eight games in Orlando, the Grizzlies have a mountain to climb to reach the playoffs.

They did respond to a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the most recent game. The Grizzlies are 2-7 ATS in the previous nine games, 1-6 ATS in the last seven as an underdog, while Under is 8-2 in last ten games as an underdog.

A BIG spot to lock in your first career triple double.

⚡: 26 points | 19 reb | 12 a for @JValanciunas yesterday. pic.twitter.com/4AcOWNNkaV

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) August 14, 2020

The Blazers, on the other hand, were practically written off, before this bubble, but with five wins in the previous six games, they climbed to the No. 8 seed in the West. They are on a three-game winning streak, and all of those three wins were narrow.

The latest nail-biting duel against the Brooklyn Nets had the fans on the edge of their seats; Portland won 134-133 in a classic shootout between Damian Lillard and CarisLeVert. The Trail Blazers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games, 5-2 ATS in the last seven as favorites, while Over is 6-0 in their last six games as a favorite.

“This is what we wanted, just a chance — an opportunity to get into the playoffs. Now we’ve got one more game separating us from making the playoffs.” @CJMcCollum talks to @BrookeOlzendam in tonight's @biofreeze Top Performance Review. pic.twitter.com/k6anOF0Lyg

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 14, 2020

Each team recorded five wins in the previous ten H2H encounters, and, interestingly, neither side managed to record two in a row in H2Hs since 2016. Remember, the Blazers won the most recent duel.

Portland is red-hot after winning the previous three games by a small margin and it seems that if this game goes to the wire, the Blazers will probably take it. However, the Grizzlies know they cannot lose here or they will be packing their bags, so I am backing them to stay close and put up a fight.

Even if Portland wins, it’s not going to be a big victory; I am going with the Grizzlies to cover the spread.