The set-up: The Grizzlies have a lot of new faces, which they hope will give a boost to a team which finished 33-49 last year. Overall Memphis averaged 103.5 PPG and it allowed 105.7. The Heat were a sub-par 39-43 a year ago, averaging 105.7 PPG and allowing 106.

The pick: I handicap the first week of all sports differently than I do the rest of the regular season and I believe this one sets up great situationally, while also backed by strong ATS O/U trends. Memphis and Miami both have plenty of new faces and each team has something to prove after a poor performance last year. With pushing the pace, I expect this total to soar over sooner than later. Also note that Memphis has seen the total go OVER in 35 of its last 55 non-conference games, while Miami has seen the total soar OVER in 14 of its last 19 as a home favorite in the 6.5 to 12 points range. For all the reasons listed above, expect a higher-scoring game.

10* TOTAL OF THE WEEK on the over Grizzlies/Heat.