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NBA – January 2nd

The 2013 calendar year gets started for the Boston Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at the TD Garden, where they will be hoping to get the new year off on the right for in NBA betting action.

Memphis is a team that has played dominating ball at home, but suspect ball on the road. The 6-6 SU and ATS mark is very average for a team that is hoping this year to really compete in the Western Conference. What we do love about the Grizz is their defensive intensity. This team ranks No. 1 in the league in total defense at 90.0 points per game, and there isn’t any change to that that we see on the horizon. F Quincy Pondexter is up in the air for this one with a knee sprain, which will hurt the rotation for the team, but in the end, matters could be worse. As long as F Zach Randolph and C Marc Gasol are manning the middle of the court and F Rudy Gay is in there, the Grizzlies will be fine. Gay is averaging 18.0 points per game this year to lead the team, and Z-Bo isn’t far behind at 17.0 points with 12.5 boards per night to boot. Gasol is averaging 14.2 points per game, and G Mike Conley is good for 13.2 points and 6.3 helpers per game on average.

Boston badly needed these few days off to get its act back together. The team was brutally beaten in three games on the West Coast just after Christmas, more or less taking the luster away from the Christmas afternoon win in Gotham City against the Brooklyn Nets. The backcourt is set to get some massive help in the form of G Avery Bradley, who is expected to be making his season debut tonight. Bradley had been sidelined with shoulder problems. G Rajon Rondo has a thigh bruise though, and that could see him kept on the shelf for the first game of the new year. Rumors are starting to swirl that the time is now to break this team apart. Seven of the next nine games are going to be played here at the TD Garden, and if the club goes something like 3-6 in those games, GM Danny Ainge is going to have to do something to try to retool for the future.

Prediction:

The stats are just too damning here to back Boston. Not only is the club in terrible form, but it is just 1-12 ATS in its last 13 home games against the Grizzlies. Memphis should be the team that gets its calendar year off on the right foot with a hard-fought road win over a stingy, yet aging club. Memphis 98 – Boston 91