NBA Championship Betting: Timberwolves vs Grizzlies

If you want to watch a game that will have a lot of offense, along with featuring some of the league’s young, up-and-coming superstar players, then Game 1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Memphis Grizzlies series is for you. By virtue of beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night in the 7 vs. 8 game, the Timberwolves won the right to be the 7 seed and face the second-seeded Grizzlies.

This game features many rising stars in the NBA. In Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and DeAngelo Russell are leading the way for the Wolves. In Memphis, Ja Morant has become one of the league’s brightest, young superstars. He is joined by Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr. Let’s have a look at both teams and how they arrive to this first game so you can make your bets against their NBA Playoffs Odds.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies – Game One Preview | NBA Playoffs Betting

The Memphis Grizzlies had the second-best record in the league this season. They accomplished this feat with Morant missing 24 of their 82 games. Even with Morant out, the Grizzlies still went 20-4. As for the Timberwolves, after a slow start, they really picked things up and ended the season well. Towns and Edwards really came into their own throughout the season, and they’re a big reason why the Wolves are where they are today.

These two split their season series at two games apiece. Each team won both of their home games, so Memphis having home court advantage in the series could be a key to who wins this series. Russell averaged 31 points per game in the four games against Memphis, while Morant averaged 20 points per game against Minnesota. Morant played all four times that these two met.

In breaking down the series, here are a couple of major things to keep an eye on:

Patrick Beverley vs The Grizzlies Guards

We’re banking on the Timberwolves putting Beverley on Morant. For years now, Beverley has found a way to get under the skin of many of the league’s top superstars. We don’t think this time will be any different. If Beverly isn’t covering Morant, he’ll probably be on Brooks or Bane, but matching up with Morant makes the most sense.

Whoever Beverly guards will have to keep their cool and not let his antics affect them. They will also need to take things at Beverley, as the league’s officials also tend to lose their cool with Pat Bev.

Who’s Going to Control the Paint?

Memphis averages nearly 58 points per game in the paint. Not only do Morant, Brooks, and Bane get to the rim, but Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams are threats to score inside. If the Grizzlies can get Towns into foul trouble, much like the Clippers did on Tuesday night, then that will be a big advantage for Memphis. Adams is one of the league’s top offensive rebounders, and if he can make things difficult for the Wolves inside, Memphis should be able to win this series.

On the opposite end, Towns has the ability to play both inside and outside. If he uses his speed and quickness against Adams and/or Jackson, he could get them into foul trouble as well. Jackson Jr. is the more versatile of the two big men, so we’re anticipating that he’ll end up guarding Towns more than Adams does.