Game: Memphis Grizzlies @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Odds: Grizzlies -2, TWolves +2
Total: 236.5
Memphis evened up this playoff series with a Game 2 victory. The defense stepped it up and Minnesota’s stars didn’t play well in the Grizzlies’ 124-96 win. Seven Grizzlies scored in double figures led by Ja Morant’s 23. After scoring 36 points in Game 1, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards cooled off and led the TWolves with 20. Minnesota as a team cooled off as they shot just 39.5 percent from the floor and 28.9 percent (11-of-38) from three-point range.
With the series shifting back to the Twin Cities, the TWolves should play better. They went 27-15 SU at home this season. Minnesota is also a healthy 23-18-1 ATS in home games this season, but the TWolves have not fared all that well against the Grizzlies at the Target Center. Minnesota is 2-2 SU in the last four at home against Memphis and they are just 2-5 ATS in the last seven. Overall, the TWolves are 3-9 SU in the last 12 games against the Grizzlies.
Interestingly, Memphis was helped in Game 2 by C Steven Adams’ foul trouble. Adams picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench after playing just three minutes. He would never return to the game. With Adams on the bench, Xavier Tillman played 21 minutes, shot 6-for-7 and scored 13 points. The Grizzlies were able to play at a faster pace and it paid off. Adams played 24 minutes in Game 1. He managed three rebounds and three assists. Adams has yet to score a point in this series.
Minnesota will need better contributions from the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Towns took just seven shots in Game 2 (he made four) and had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Russell shot just 3-of-11 from the floor (2-of-7 from three) and finished with 11 points. Minnesota trailed by 11 at the half and just couldn’t recover. Playing in front of the home crowd tonight should give the TWolves some extra motivation.
With the Game 2 win, Memphis is now 13-5 SU in its last 18 games and 9-3 SU in the last 12 against Minnesota. The Grizzlies are one of the NBA’s better road teams with a 26-15 road record. They went 25-15-1 ATS in those 41 road games and, remember, Memphis is the best cover team in the NBA. They covered in Game 2 as a seven-point favorite giving them a 53-30-1 ATS record for the season. Memphis is also 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games against Minnesota.
Both teams trend Over. Five of the last seven Grizzlies games have gone Over and six of the last eight TWolves’ games have resulted in the Over. Game 1 of the series went Over, but Game 2 went Under as Minnesota scored just 96 points. These are the two top-scoring teams in the NBA and they can fill it up. Of the six times the teams have played this season, only two have surpassed tonight’s total of 236.5.