Lakers vs. Grizzlies Game 2 NBA playoff injury report, odds, trends: L.A. taking solid spread action with Ja Morant game-time decision

Memphis finished its 2022-23 regular season home slate with a 35-6 record at FedExForum, setting a franchise record for home victories and leading the NBA. It was the most home wins posted in a single season since Golden State won 36 in 2016-17. Yet home-court advantage for the Grizzlies in their Round 1 playoff series vs. the LA Lakers already is gone, and now the Grizz might be without superstar Ja Morant tonight in Game 2, which has shifted the Lakers into the favored role at BetMGM. Click here for model picks.

The Lakers opened at +2.5 but are now -1.5 and taking 67% of the bets and 61% of the money on the spread. The total has dropped from 229.5 to 226.5, almost certainly due to Morant potentially sitting out. 51% of the bets and 53% of the money have come in on the Over.

Morant entered Game 1's 128-112 loss dealing with a right hand contusion, and he aggravated it in the fourth quarter when the All-Star went up for a layup and Anthony Davis took a charge, resulting in Morant trying to ease his fall with his hand. The injury was originally suffered in Memphis' April 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Morant described his pain level as a 10 following his early exit on Sunday.

An MRI revealed an aggravation of the bruising in the soft tissue in Morant's hand, but apparently he can't make it worse by playing and it's simply a matter of pain tolerance. He's a game-time decision. Coach Taylor Jenkins said that Morant did some shooting and dribbling with his right hand during Tuesday's practice and that his "symptoms are slightly improving." Morant did not wear a wrap or any extra protection on his hand during Tuesday's practice.

The Grizzlies do have potentially the best backup point guard in the league in Tyus Jones, who led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for the fifth consecutive season, breaking Chris Paul's four-year run for the longest such streak in NBA. Memphis is 32-13 with Jones in the starting lineup over the past two seasons. The Grizz went 6-3 in the nine games Morant missed in March. On a per-36 minute basis, Jones averaged 12.7 points, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals this year, while hitting 35.7% of his 3-pointers and 81.4% of his free throws. There are no props available for Jones yet because of Morant's uncertain status. The third-string point guard on the team is Kennedy Chandler, a 20-year-old who logged 281 minutes in just 36 appearances.

Davis (right foot stress injury), LeBron James (right foot soreness) and Dennis Schroder (right Achilles soreness) are all probable for the Lakers. The three most-wagered player props thus far are all on Lakers: D'Angelo Russell Under 16.5 points (-115), LeBron Over 26.5 points (-120) and Davis Over 24.5 points (-105).

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