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Spurs vs. Grizzlies Play-In Game Odds, Daily Fantasy Tips and Live Stream
May 19, 2021
The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs opened their season against each other on December 23, and one of them will close out their campaign on Wednesday in the Western Conference play-in round.
Memphis was locked into the No. 9 seed after Sunday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, and it could face them again on Friday if it sees off the Spurs and the Warriors lose to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Grizzlies are viewed as the favorite to win at home on Wednesday since San Antonio won just two of its final 12 regular-season games.
Ja Morant and Co. finished five games above the Spurs in the standings and averaged 127 points per game in their trio of meetings.
With that in mind, most of the daily fantasy focus should be on the Grizzlies, especially Jonas Valanciunas, who could control the paint matchup inside FedEx Forum.
Spurs at Grizzlies Odds
Spread: Memphis (-4)
Over/Under: 222
Money Line: Memphis (-174; bet $174 to win $100); San Antonio (+146; bet $100 to win $146)
Game Information
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Daily Fantasy Tips
Build Around Valanciunas
Valanciunas recorded 15 points and 13 rebounds in his appearance against the Spurs on December 23.
The Memphis big man missed each game of the back-to-back series on January 30 and February 1, so we have only a small sample size specific to the matchup.
Nothing should deter you from landing Valanciunas as the center in your DFS lineups, though, because he is a double-double machine and should control his individual battle with Jakob Poeltl.
The 29-year-old has three consecutive 20-point performances and he earned 10 or more trips to the free-throw line in each of his last five contests.
If Valanciunas overpowers Poeltl down low, Memphis could hand San Antonio its sixth double-digit loss in eight games. One of the two contests in which that did not occur was Sunday's regular-season finale as the Phoenix Suns rested most of their starters.
San Antonio's recent losses to the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers indicate how successful Valanciunas can be on Wednesday.
Alec Burks, Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett combined for 28 rebounds on Thursday, while Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter had 29 boards on May 8.
Memphis should have one or two players add to the rebound collection around Valanciunas, but the Lithuanian should land the highest total.
Valanciunas is listed at $8,700 for FanDuel's Wednesday two-game slate, which is the highest of any center, but he could be worth it, especially if Andre Drummond's paint production is taken up by Anthony Davis.
Run With DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is the most likely San Antonio player to turn in an otherworldly performance and keep the team alive.
The 31-year-old has played in 58 playoff games and produced three games with 25 points or more in the 2019 first-round series with the Denver Nuggets.
Although Wednesday's game does not officially count as a postseason contest, we can use DeRozan's postseason numbers to see how he performs in the most important games.
The USC product owns 20 25-point playoff performances, and he eclipsed 30 points in 15 of those contests. Seven of those outings occurred in losses by the Spurs and Toronto Raptors.
Even if the Spurs are not close to the Grizzlies by the final buzzer, he should have a strong stat line that makes him a valuable DFS play.
Similar to Valanciunas, you will have to use a high salary on DeRozan, who is listed at $7,500, but he could be a complementary piece in lineups that feature Stephen Curry and LeBron James.
At his salary, DeRozan can provide value in place of one of the top stars on the slate and give you a bit of cap flexibility to land other supporting pieces.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.
Must be 21+ and present in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Colorado, or Tennessee. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.
Must be 21+ and present in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Colorado, or Tennessee. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.