Portland is without a lot of scorers tonight. Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons are both out and potentially Shaedon Sharpe. Memphis frontcourt injuries will also play a role, as they have gone from +2 rebounds this season to -4 so far this season. Ayton is 3-1 to this over in his last 4 games. With a tall order on offense and rebounding opportunities on both ends, he should have time to hit this over.

The Grizzlies are 0-5 to start the season. Ja Morant is still serving his suspension and they have significant injuries up front. If they’re not careful, their season will be over before Morant even gets back. In terms of must-win games in the beginning of November, this feels like a rare one. After they play the next two games against the Trail Blazers, they have four tough matchups in the Heat, Jazz, Clippers and Lakers. Working in the Grizzlies’ favor is that the Trail Blazers will play this game without Anfernee Simons (thumb) and Scoot Henderson (ankle). Look for the Grizzlies to play with a sense of urgency and finally put one in the win column.

Shaedon Sharpe is one the leagues best young scorers and is on a Blazers team focused on the future. Portland will be short handed tonight against a Grizzlies team that ranks in the bottom 10 in Defensive efficiency while ranking top 10 in possessions per game. This is a recipe for a potential ceiling game and Portland will be shorthanded with Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson both on the sidelines tonight. Look for Sharpe to get up a lot of shots.

The Grizzlies are 0-5 and have a matchup that they really need to win against the rebuilding Trail Blazers. That should lead to plenty of minutes for Marcus Smart, who has already averaged 32 minutes per game for the season. With him on the floor so often, he has recorded at least two steals in all five games. The Trail Blazers have committed the fourth-most turnovers per game in the league, so expect Smart to receive plenty of opportunities to reach this over.