Who’s Playing
Memphis Grizzlies @ Atlanta Hawks
Current Records: Memphis 19-9, Atlanta 14-14
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: State Farm Arena — Atlanta, Georgia
- TV: FanDuel SN – Southeast
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $43.30
What to Know
The Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at State Farm Arena. Despite being away, the Grizzlies are looking at a 1.5-point advantage in the spread.
The Grizzlies are headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They really took it to the Warriors for the full four quarters, racking up a 144-93 victory. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 69-38.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Grizzlies to victory, but perhaps none more so than Santi Aldama, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 14 rebounds. Aldama’s performance made up for a slower contest against the Lakers on Sunday.
The Grizzlies were working as a unit and finished the game with 38 assists (they’re ranked second in assists per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now racked up at least 25 assists in 13 consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, the Hawks fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Spurs on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 133-126 hit to the loss column at the hands of San Antonio. Atlanta has now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Despite their loss, the Hawks saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Trae Young, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 16 assists, was perhaps the best of all. Young has been hot , having posted ten or more assists the last five times he’s played. Larry Nance Jr. was another key player, shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and dropping a double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Memphis pushed their record up to 19-9 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. As for Atlanta, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: The Grizzlies have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 48.2 rebounds per game (they’re ranked second in rebounds per game overall). However, it’s not like the Hawks (currently ranked fourth) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 46.6. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
The Grizzlies came up short against the Hawks in their previous meeting back in March, falling 99-92. Thankfully for the Grizzlies, Dejounte Murray (who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 41 points plus seven rebounds and six assists) won’t be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check CBSSports.com after the match to find out.
Odds
Memphis is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Atlanta, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 242.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Memphis has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Atlanta.
- Mar 08, 2024 – Atlanta 99 vs. Memphis 92
- Dec 23, 2023 – Memphis 125 vs. Atlanta 119
- Mar 26, 2023 – Memphis 123 vs. Atlanta 119
- Dec 12, 2022 – Memphis 128 vs. Atlanta 103
- Mar 18, 2022 – Atlanta 120 vs. Memphis 105
- Nov 26, 2021 – Atlanta 132 vs. Memphis 100
- Apr 07, 2021 – Memphis 131 vs. Atlanta 113
- Dec 26, 2020 – Atlanta 122 vs. Memphis 112
- Mar 07, 2020 – Memphis 118 vs. Atlanta 101
- Mar 02, 2020 – Memphis 127 vs. Atlanta 88
