I had to jump on this one once I saw that Ja Morant (foot) had been ruled out. While Memphis has been wildly successful without its starting point guard on the road this year, the new-look Pelicans should have too much offense for the Grizzlies now that CJ McCollum has joined Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas. I'm rolling with New Orleans just one day after it toppled the healthy Raptors by 30 at the Smoothie King Center.

This is going to drop as MVP candidate Ja Morant has been ruled out for red-hot Memphis. The Pelicans are pretty darn solid now with CJ McCollum but are in the second of a back-to-back so they still might lose ... but I doubt by more than 4.

The Grizzlies are well-rested and come in with five-game winning and cover streaks. They are 8-1 SU and ATS In their last nine. They’re the best cover team in the NBA (39-19 ATS), and while their rating is going to eventually catch up, the stress they impose on opposing defenses is greater than the number almost nightly. I’m on Memphis to cover.

The only concern here is that Ja Morant is listed as questionable with left ankle soreness. The Grizzlies also play Wednesday against the Trail Blazers, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him sit out one of those games. If he does, I think he would rest Thursday since the Trail Blazers are a far inferior team. Plus, that would give him some added time off before the All-Star game. The Grizzlies have won eight of their last nine games with each victory coming by at least seven points. To further complicate matters for the Pelicans, they will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set.