Grizzlies vs Hawks

A betting preview of Grizzlies vs Hawks. Odds courtesy of William Hill!

One of the surprise teams in the NBA this year in the Memphis Grizzlies will take on the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta in a game televised on NBA TV Friday night. This matchup features two of the best young point guards in the NBA. Both Ja Morant and Trae Young are under 25-years-old and were All Star starters in the NBA All Star game this year. The Hawks made a deep run to the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs last year while the Grizzlies made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last year. This season, it seems these teams have almost flipped positions. At this point, the Grizzlies are one of the top teams in the Western Conference who look poised to make a deep playoff run while the Hawks are set for the play-in game, the same as the Grizzlies were last year. This matchup will be entertaining to watch these two talented teams and point guards go at each other come Friday night.

The Memphis Grizzlies have finally climbed their way up in the Western Conference standings getting all the way up to the No. 2 spot. They have officially surpassed the Golden State Warriors, who have been struggling as of late. The Grizzlies on the other hand, have been anything but struggling. In February this team lost just two games, and in March they have lost just two games as well so far. Coming into this game against Atlanta, they will be riding a four-game winning streak and will be looking to make it five. Ja Morant has been terrific this year and as of late. In his last 10 games he has a 52-point outing, to go with a 46-point game, and two games in the high thirties with 37 and 38. The Grizzlies are an all-around good team though, as they still are able to win without him like they did Tuesday in a 33-point victory over the Indiana Pacers. Don't expect this team to be done after the regular season. They will do some damage in the playoffs.

What Will a John Collins-less Hawks Look Like?

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the biggest early-season disappointments after making an Eastern Conference Finals appearance just last year. Recently, this team has turned it around winning eight of their last 13 games. This has almost solidified them as the final play-in team in the East. They are currently 10th with a substantial five-game lead over the 11th placed Washington Wizards. A big injury to this team has been John Collins. He just came back to the lineup but suffered a gruesome finger injury that should keep him out for some time now. It could be argued that Collins is the second best player on this team behind Young. With not that much time left remaining in the regular season, the first round matchup for this team could very well be a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Bucks are currently second in the standings. Look for a strong finish to the regular season for the Hawks and that starts here against Memphis.

A major key to the game for the Hawks will be to get Trae Young going after his last game where he scored just nine points in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Without Collins, who averages over 16 points per game, Young will have to take on a greater scoring load. Another player who needs to step up who has played great since the All Star break is Bogdan Bogdanovic. He has recently cooled off significantly in the last five games after helping the Hawks to multiple wins with four straight games of having 17 or more points. Defense will be another key for the Hawks, and especially if Morant is able to go in this one.

The Grizzliest Should Focus on Stopping Young

Speaking of Ja Morant, his status is up in the air for this game after missing the Grizzlies' previous contest. It is likely he was just held out for rest due to lingering back issues and will play in this game, but that will be the first key for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies should also focus on stopping Young. Without Young's scoring and with Collins out, the Hawks have been struggling a little bit. Teams are keying in on Young and forcing others to beat them. So far it is working, and we will see if the Grizzlies use a similar defensive approach in this one.

This matchup probably would have favored the Hawks at this point in the season last year. This year, it is quite the opposite. The Grizzlies are one of the best teams in the entire NBA while the Hawks are fighting to just make the playoffs. The Grizzlies may be fairly big favorites in this one, but it should still be a fun one to watch with these two star point guards.

NBA Online Betting Odds

If you are looking to wager on the Grizzlies and Hawks' chance of being named 2022 NBA Championship Winner, here are the odds: