The scenario is simple for the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies in their play-in showdown: win and then secure the No. 7 seed in the West. That is what up for grabs when the Grizzlies and the Warriors lock horns in a huge battle at Chase Center.

Catch this game live on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM, Manila time

Away: Memphis Grizzlies 

Projected Starting Five:

  • Ja Morant
  • Desmond Bane
  • Vince Williams Jr.
  • Jaren Jackson Jr.
  • Zach Edey

The Grizzlies closed out their schedule in the regular season on a high note, as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks at home last Monday via a 132-97 score. That win snapped a two-game skid for Memphis, which enters the Play-in matchup with the Warriors having won four of its last five outings. 

Since the Grizzlies knew even before the Mavericks game that they would be in the play-in, they decided to rest their stars like Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. In other words, the Grizzlies will have fresher legs this Wednesday than Golden State, which went all-out in a losing effort also last Monday. 

Jackson played in all four meetings with the Warriors in the regular season and led his team with an average of 23.5 points to go with 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Up against a potentially fatigued Warriors, the Grizzlies will look to use their high-scoring attack to rattle the host team. The Grizzlies finished the regular season second in the league with an average of 121.7 points per outing.

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Home: Golden State Warriors 

Projected Starting Five:

  • Stephen Curry
  • Brandin Podziemski
  • Jimmy Butler III
  • Moses Moody
  • Draymond Green

Apart from playing at home, one glaring advantage the Warriors have over the Grizzlies in this contest is the experience of Steve Kerr compared to that of Tuomas Iisalo, who just recently took over as Memphis’ interim head coach following the shocking dismissal of Taylor Jenkins.

The same can also be said about the players, with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler looking to use their immense experience in high-stakes contests to help Golden State, which dominated the Grizzlies in the regular season. 

The Dubs went 3-1 in matchups with Memphis in the regular season. That includes Golden State’s 134-125 win over the Grizzlies on April 2 in which Curry exploded for 52 points on the strength of 12 3-pointers and 16-for-31 shooting from the floor. Butler also scored 27 points on 7-for-11 shooting in that game. 

Picks

Spread: Memphis Grizzlies (+7.0)

Over/Under: Under (229.0)

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