Heading into the NBA playoffs, we all like to pick out series that might end up being closer than a lot of people expected. The opening round seldom offers up much in the way of major upsets, with the top seeds in each conference usually moving on without too much trouble. That said, bettors still look at individual games within those series to see if they can identify an opportunity to cash in on an underdog and build their bankroll. To this point in the proceedings, albeit very early, things have basically been going to plan. The big exception is in the series between the #2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies and the #7 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the T-Wolves who won big on the road in Game 1. Is that a sign of things to come or nothing more than a blip on the radar? Let’s break down the two teams, and we’ll give you our NBA Playoffs Betting prediction on who is going to win the series after Game 1.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies: Who Will Win the Series After Game 1
The Regular Season Series
It is altogether too easy to simply look at the seedings and think that one team has a definite advantage over another. In the NBA playoffs, we usually see the #1 and #2 seeds move on, although the lower seeds making it in via the Play-In Tournament do sometimes come in with a little bit of momentum on their side.
Looking back at the regular season series between these two teams, the outcome of Game 1 is not perhaps as surprising as some would have you believe. Minnesota and Memphis met 4 times in the regular season, splitting the series 2-2. The big difference here is that all 4 of those games were won by the home team, so does that mean that the Timberwolves now have a serious edge as the underdog? Game 2 will go a long way towards deciding that.
Who Wins Game 2?
It’s tough to suggest that Game 2 of a series might be a must win for one team or another, but I don’t think that is the case here. Not only were Memphis beaten in Game 1, they were pounded, losing 130-117. If that’s not a call to action, I’m not sure what is. The Grizzlies ended the regular season with a 30-11 record on home court, so seeing them lose was surprising, especially with Minnesota going a game below .500 in road games during the regular season. Taking all that into account, I think that we will see the Grizzlies tie things up in Game 2.
Who Wins the Series?
If the regular season series between these teams is to be used as a gauge, then we can probably expect this series to be on the longer side of things. The goal for the Grizzlies now, besides winning Game 2, is to go on the road and get a win, which would have them stealing back home court advantage. If they can do that, then I think we will see the momentum shift quite dramatically.
Minnesota was a very respectable 26-15 in their own building this season, so they are not going to be an easy nut to crack. All of that having been said, I still like Memphis to shake off their recent poor run of form and fins a way to win the series in 6 games.
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