The NBA Playoffs are underway and the first round is littered with great matchups. The Memphis Grizzlies defied the odds and beat the Golden State Warriors in a single game winner takes all showdown for the rights to the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Their reward? A series with the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz finished the regular season with the best record in the league at 52-20. They were especially good at home all season, finishing with a 31-5 home record. Both teams should enter the series confident in themselves. The Jazz because of their success over the course of the season. While thee Grizzlies confidence stems from an upset victory over the Stephen Curry led Golden State Warriors.
Series Odds
Series – Grizzlies: +825
Series – Jazz: -1425
The Jazz rightfully begin the series as big favorites against the young and inexperienced Grizzlies. With players like Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell leading the way, the Jazz have one of the most well-balanced attacks in the league. Their bench has overwhelmed opposing defenses all season as well, proven by having two of three Sixth Man of the Year finalists on their roster.
Given that we are yet to see them prove things in the playoffs, this line is a bit aggressive to trust for most people. Still, the upside of the Grizzlies doesn’t exist as it feels like this is their ceiling for this season, which is not necessarily a knock on them. Betting games throughout the series is likely the play here as the Griz should put up a fight but at some point will be overwhelmed and maxed out.
Key Matchups
Grizzlies Bench vs Jazz Bench
As noted earlier, the Jazz have one of the best benches in the entire NBA. Their rotation is deep and well pieced together, giving them a massive advantage against opponents when both teams have their benches in games. Jordan Clarkson leads the way but is complemented by versatile players such as Joe Ingles.
The Grizzlies will need to slow down the Jazz bench consistently in order to stay in games. Bench lineups can often be a time to make up ground against an opponent but that isn’t the case when playing Utah. Grayson Allen is one of a few players that can be the spark on either end of the floor for the Griz in this series.
Memphis Backcourt vs Utah Backcourt
Both teams have studs in their backcourt. The Grizzlies are led by rising star Ja Morant while the Jazz are led by Mitchell. Their backcourt partners will be key in giving one side the advantage over the other.
Morant has Dillon Brooks alongside him, a proven scorer that will need to do his part to keep up with the well-balanced offense of the Jazz. On the other side, Mitchell has the experienced and still very productive Mike Conley to help him keep the Jazz going. Conley is not only proven but won’t shy away from the big moments and could be the boost the Jazz need to prevent the Grizzlies from making a run in this series.
Grizzlies X-Factor: Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jackson came back from a serious injury that occurred in the NBA bubble last season. Due to that injury, he has only played 11 games so far this season. Now, he is the X-Factor in a playoff series against the team that had the best regular season in the entire NBA.
Jackson is a monster on the defensive end of the floor and will be key in providing rim protection for Memphis. In just under 24 minutes per game this year, he blocked 1.6 shots. That ability is especially important because the Grizzlies feature the offensive-minded Jonas Valanciunas at the center position. Jackson needs to avoid foul trouble so he can make life difficult for driving Jazz players at the rim.
He also will need to pitch in on the offensive end of the floor. Although he is not shooting especially well since returning, Jackson is a proven threat from behind the arc and needs to get back into a rhythm for Memphis to score at a high rate. The more he is connecting from deep, the more space players like Valanciunas and Morant have to operate inside the three-point line.
Jazz X-Factor: Joe Ingles
Ingles is an X-Factor for Utah on any given night, and that is no different in this series. He does a little bit of everything on offense and has been lights out shooting the ball this season. His ability to make plays for others is key for the Jazz offensively because it relieves some of that responsibility from more natural scorers like Mitchell and Clarkson.
Ingles also does it on the defensive end of the floor. Expect to see him spend time on numerous Memphis players in the series. His versatility and size on that end of the floor is problematic for opponents and could be a big part of the Jazz slowing down offensive-minded players such as Brooks or Morant.
Prediction: Jazz 4, Grizzlies 2
The Grizzlies are inexperienced but not scared of anybody, even the best team in the league. They have enough offensive firepower to steal a game or two and should be able to do exactly that. When push comes to shove, though, the Jazz will put things away and win this series comfortably even at 4-2.
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