Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, April 29th, 2022 

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota  

Where to Watch: ESPN

DraftKings:  Grizz -1; O/U 229

Fanduel:  Grizz -1.5; O/U 229

BetMGM: Grizz -1; O/U 228.5

Grizzlies: 56-26, 2nd place Western Conference; 3-2 in the series

Timberwolves: 46-36, 7th place Western Conference; 2-3 in the series

A red hot Western Conference First round NBA playoff series that is about to come to an end.  We don’t want it to… we could watch these teams battle it out for 20 more games if the NBA would let us.  It is a pure series of young players and athletic squads that is going back and forth and giving us some great finishes at the buzzer.  Yet, it can not last forever.  The #2 Seed Memphis Grizzlies technically do not need to win on the road to win the series…. But they will and they should.  The Minnesota Timberwolves are the 7th Seed for a reason… they can’t keep this energy up and will fall.  Memphis lost the first game of the series which technically gave us the series… Then Memphis won and then Memphis won again… and just in time to ratchet up the tension Memphis lost game 4 to get the series all tied at 2-2… Then Memphis broke through to win game 5.  I did not mention Minnesota in that build up because each loss and win has really been in the hands of Memphis.  Minnesota is just providing enough defense to push Memphis to be at their best.   That will fade and Memphis is going to pull through.

The Memphis Grizzlies are 3-2 in the series, but 2-3 ATS.  The spread has shrank for this Game 6 as Vegas has put a premium on Minnesota playing at home.  I put a premium on it as well… but still the Grizzlies should be favored by more than 1 lousy point.  The Grizzlies won the last game 111 - 109.  They lost ATS, but still got to Game 6 with a lead in the series. In that win PG Ja Morant came alive with a 30 pt, 13 rbs, 9 asts outing… He also had a world shaking dunk that was replayed 100 times on ESPN… and another 2.2 million on social media. The game plan in every game is also to include SG Desmond Bane who has overtaken PF Jaren Jackson JR as the team’s 2nd best player… Desmond did not disappoint with 25 pts, 4rbs, 1 asts… PF Jaren Jackson Jr had early foul trouble and wound up only playing 18 minutes in the game. This gave way for PF Brandon Clarke to land 21 points and 15 rebounds.  Next man up is a great thing, it also is why some star players end up getting traded.  The Grizzlies also overcame a horrible shooting night from SF Dillon Brooks who used to be the shooting guard until his injury absence this season allowed Desmond Bane the room to take his job. Brooks shot 1 of 10 from 3-point.. And a shockingly bad 3 of 18 from the field.  The roster is strong.  C Steven Adams recorded a DNP, SG De’Anthony Melton recorded a DNP, and SF Zaiire Williams (who started most of the season) played only 4 minutes.  However the offseason plays out… It is obvious the Grizzlies have bullets to shoot into a big trade…. Imagine Adams, Williams, Melton (all good players) and a pick going into a big 3-4 team trade?... That would bring back an avalanche of fun for next year!  

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 2-3 in the series, but 3-2 ATS.  They are no longer the joke they have been for the last decade.  C Karl-Anthony Towns, SF Anthony Edwards, and SG D'Angelo Russell are the real deal.  That is a solid core.  The problem the T-Wolves are experiencing in the win column is that the Grizzlies are deeper… not that they have a better core Big Three. In the last loss KAT had 28 points, Anthony Edwards had 22 points, and D’Angelo Russell had 12 points on a bad shooting night.  PG Patrick Beverley, SF Jaden McDaniels, and PF Jarred Vanderbilt… let everyone down.  All the Wolves needed was a quality game from any of those three and they would have brought down a Grizzly.  This roster suffers from this problem big time… they are deep and athletic but super inexperienced in postseason basketball… lots of the young guys will post a bad game next to KAT and AE dropping big games.  They need one more year of development… and they absolutely should be done picking up new young players.  

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The Grizzlies are 58-28 on the season, but 54-31-1 ATS… They have been a great betting opportunity all season!.  They have logged 45 Overts, 40 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 27-16 in road games.

The T-Wolves are 49-38 on the season, but 44-40-2 ATS.  They have logged 52 Overs, 34 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 28-16 in home games.  

The Grizzlies are 2nd in scoring with 115.6 ppg, 1st on rebounds with 49.2, 5th in AST/TO 2.0. On defense they rank 12th while holding opponents to 109.9 ppg.  

The Timberwolves are 1st in scoring with 115.9 ppg, 16th in rebounds with 44.2 per game, and 14th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they are ranked a lowly 24th (they have played above their average) while allowing 113.3 ppg.

Our prediction for Friday, April 29th is…..  Grizzlies 118 - Timberwolves 112

The Grizzlies will close the series and get the win ATS.  Dillon Brooks will in no way have as bad a shooting night as he did last time… especially knowing that was his worst postseason shooting game… sure it is a small sample size… but still.  Ja Morant us firmly out of his funk and will keep the legend growing.  For the T-Wolves they have already accomplished more than they should have based on how they started this season… for a young squad that can be an incredible source of self-defeating knowledge.

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Memphis is 54-46 ATS versus Minny since 1996.

Memphis is 28-13 ATS when the total is 220 - 229.5

Minnesota is 26-55 ATS after a close road loss of 3 pts or less since 1996.

Grizzlies: SF Zaiire Williams (knee) Quest

T-Wolves: No injuries to report.

Grizzlies: PF Jaren Jackson Jr, SF Dillon Brooks, C Xavier Tillman, PG Ja Morant, SG Desmond Bane

Timberwolves: SF Anthony Edwards, PF Jarred Vaderbilt, C Karl-Anthony Towns, SG D'Angelo Russell, PG Patrick Beverley

Grizzlies: Taylor Jenkins

Timberwolves: Chris Finch