The Memphis Grizzlies (1-0) visit the Houston Rockets (0-1) on NBA Friday, tipping off at 8 p.m. ET from Houston, Texas. The game is airing live on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and streaming on NBA League Pass.
The Houston Rockets are consensus 3.5-point favorites over the Memphis Grizzlies on the spread (Rockets -3.5), with the over/under currently at 226.5 points. The Rockets are -165 favorites on the moneyline to win outright, while the Grizzlies are +140 to pull off the upset.
Let's dive into my Grizzlies vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks for Friday, October 25.
Grizzlies vs. Rockets Odds
| Grizzlies Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
214.5 Â /Â | ||
| Rockets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
214.5 Â /Â | ||
- Grizzlies vs. Rockets spread: Rockets -3.5
- Grizzlies vs. Rockets over/under: 226.5 points
- Grizzlies vs. Rockets moneyline: Rockets -165, Grizzlies +140
- Grizzlies vs. Rockets best bet: Grizzlies +3.5 (Bet to 2.5)
Grizzlies vs. Rockets Picks and Predictions
Prediction
My pick: Grizzlies +3.5 (Bet to +2.5)
The Grizzlies will again be without four key rotational pieces: Jaren Jackson Jr, GG Jackson, Luke Kennard, and Vince Williams. However, they still have enough firepower to keep this game against the Rockets within one possession.
Ja Morant and Desmond Bane remain among the most underrated backcourts in the Association, and this new-look, fast-paced Grizz offense will catch Houston off guard. Zach Edey (7-foot-4) and Jay Huff (7-foot-1) could hold Alperen Sengun to a relatively modest output due to their height, length, and physicality.
For all of your NBA bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NBA odds page.
Spread
I'll give the Grizzlies a lean at 2.5 points due to their unique offense and physical defense, which could frustrate some of the Rockets' younger players. The Grizzlies should keep this game close as long as they limit their fouls and win the rebounding and paint battle. I still have concerns about Houston's 3-point shooting ability as a whole.
Moneyline
I'm staying off the moneyline here. I'd pull the trigger if the Grizzlies were closer to +125 or +130.
Over/Under
If this game had been played last season, I would lean heavily to the under, as Memphis was the lowest-scoring team in the NBA in 2023-24.
However, the Grizzlies have scrapped their offensive strategy from previous seasons in place of a neck-breaking offense that, in some way, is supposed to emulate the "Seven Second Offense" that D'Antoni made famous with the Suns in the mid-2000s.
Further, Memphis loves to be physical, as evidenced by its 35 fouls against the Jazz in its first game of the 2024-25 campaign. Utah took 45 free throws in that bout, which usually results in high-scoring games.
As the season continues, I believe the point total in Grizzlies games will creep higher and higher. For now, take advantage of a low number.
My pick: Grizzlies +3.5 (Bet to +2.5)
Grizzlies vs. Rockets Betting Trends to Know
- 86% of bets and 84% of the money are on the Grizzlies to cover the spread.
- 72% of bets and 36% of the money on the moneyline are on the Rockets to win outright.
- 91% of bets and 93% of the money are on the over.
Betting trends via our live, updating NBA public betting & money percentages page.
Grizzlies vs. Rockets Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
| Date: | Friday, October 25 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | AT&T SportsNet Southwest / NBA League Pass |
Rockets vs. Grizzlies is scheduled for a 8 p.m. ET start time, live from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Friday. The game is live on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and is streaming on NBA League Pass.
Grizzlies vs. Rockets NBA Preview
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis finally snapped a four-game road losing streak against the Jazz, narrowly edging out Utah by a 126-124 final score. Before Wednesday night's win, the Grizzlies had dropped six of their last seven games in Salt Lake City.
So, what went well for the Grizz?
For one, Santi Aldama dropped 27 points, starting in place of injured All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
Aldama carried his impressive play from the Olympic qualifiers for Spain straight into the regular season; he will be an essential piece off the bench for Memphis throughout the season.
Additionally, the Grizzlies, who have struggled for several years in their 3-point shooting, knocked down 38% of their attempts, courtesy of Aldama and Desmond Bane.
Despite an evident increase in the team's pace, a goal entering this season, Memphis also only turned the ball over 12 times. That is a rock-solid number for the number of possessions in the game.
Areas of improvement? There were still plenty of those.
Memphis fouled Utah 35 times, rewarding the Jazz with 45 free throws. Several free-throw attempts came off the ball in the fourth quarter, mainly on Lauri Markkanen, a career 87% free-throw shooter. Rookie Jaylen Wells got tagged with a few of those.
The Grizzlies have to clean that up ahead of this game.
Utah also outrebounded the Grizzlies by eight boards and outscored them by 10 points in the paint.
However, those struggles came because Zach Edey fouled out in just 15 minutes of play. His rookie debut was rough; he finished with five points and five rebounds on 1-for-5 shooting from the charity stripe.
Houston Rockets
Houston was fantastic on its home floor last season (27-14) but already logged a tough home loss to the Charlotte Hornets in its season opener.
LaMelo Ball finished with a near-triple-double, pouring in 34 points, dishing out 11 assists, and pulling down eight rebounds in 38 minutes of play. Tre Mann was also exceptional, with 24 points off the bench.
Houston had issues knocking down 3s, hitting only 30% of its attempts. But the biggest problem for the Rockets was the play of Fred VanVleet, who shot 4-for-18 from the floor and 2-for-11 from deep.
Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green were the only reliable offensive weapons. Unfortunately, teams can gameplan for that if the rest of the Rockets' players cannot consistently knock down shots.
Further, Houston's half-court offense also looked too reliant on individual scoring in isolation, as the team registered just 19 total assists.
It will be tough to beat a very physical Memphis team without hitting 3s and getting consistent movement on the offensive end of the floor.
My pick: Grizzlies +3.5 (Bet to +2.5)
