It is win or go home when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. The winner will advance to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Desmond Bane, Zach Edey, and Scotty Pippen Jr. are three Grizzlies players I am targeting in this matchup.
Continue below for my NBA prop bets for Grizzlies vs. Mavericks on Friday, April 18.
Grizzlies vs. Mavericks Prop Bets for Tonight
- Desmond Bane Over 22.5 Points (-105, DraftKings)
- Zach Edey Over 12.5 Rebounds (-105, Fanatics)
- Scotty Pippen Jr. Over 4.5 Assists (-120, Fanatics)
Desmond Bane Over 22.5 Points
Mavericks vs Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. ET
In the event that Morant is limited or unavailable, Bane will needed to step up in the scoring department. However, that may still be the case. In 18 career playoff games as a starter, Bane is averaging 20.3 points per game.
In Tuesday's Play-In game against the Warriors, Bane had 30 points on 11-for-21 from the field and 5-for-8 from three. He has now cleared this line in four of his past five games, averaging 27.8 points per game in that span. All four overs came in games against teams in the playoffs for seeding or in the Play-In Tournament.
Bane has also cleared this line in seven of his last nine games against the Mavericks, scoring 25 points or more in six of those games. Dallas is more formidable defensively with its preferred three-center rotation of Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively Jr., and Daniel Gafford. However, it also just surrendered 53 points combined to DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
We only need 23 points from Bane to clear this line, but another 30-point outing would not be a surprise. You can back him for 30 points at +400 on DraftKings.
Pick: Desmond Bane Over 22.5 Points (-105, DraftKings)
Zach Edey Over 12.5 Rebounds
Mavericks vs Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. ET
Statistically, Zach Edey had a strong game against the Warriors with 14 points and 17 rebounds. That is despite the Warriors not being a great matchup for him defensively with their small lineup. Yet, Iisalo stuck with him because of his ability to punish the Warriors on the glass.
Edey has now recorded 13 rebounds in six of his last seven games. He has had 16 or more in five games in that stretch, which is +270 on Fanatics tonight. Dallas was 25th in rebounds allowed this season, though it did not play many games with Davis, Lively, and Gafford together. However, their presence is a reason why I like Edey tonight.
Though he will have to fight them off for rebounds, the presence of Dallas' centers will keep Edey around the basket, particularly Lively and Gafford. During his seven-game stretch of rebounding dominance, Edey has averaged 25.5 rebound chances per game with at least 19 in every game. If he has at least 25 rebound chances tonight, he will need to secure about half of them to clear this line. With another game with 30 minutes or so, I like his chances of doing it.
Pick: Zach Edey Over 12.5 Rebounds (-105, Fanatics)
Scotty Pippen Jr. Over 4.5 Assists
Mavericks vs Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. ET
With the injury to Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson struggling after an injury derailed his start to the start, Memphis is a little light on wing depth at the moment. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo opted to start Scotty Pippen Jr. alongside Ja Morant and Desmond Bane and he had five assists in 34 minutes. Then Morant turned his ankle.
Morant scored just four points after returning and he is questionable for tonight's game after missing practice yesterday. Given the stakes of tonight's game, I would expect Morant to play. However, Pippen's minutes may be secure regardless. Pippen has recorded five assists in seven of his last 10 games when playing at least 25 minutes, averaging 5.9 per game in that span. Dallas is also 20th in assists allowed this season.
There may be additional value on him in the event that Morant is ruled out. He has had seven assists in five of his last 10 games without Morant and 10 assists in three of them. You can back him for seven assists at +300, nine assists at +700, and 10 assists at +2000 on DraftKings.
Pick: Scotty Pippen Jr. Over 4.5 Assists (-120, Fanatics)
Grizzlies vs. Mavericks Player Props for Friday
- Scotty Pippen Jr. Over 4.5 Assists
- Desmond Bane Over 22.5 Points
- Zach Edey Over 12.5 Rebounds
