Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies 4/26/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions
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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies Matchup Preview (4/26/22)
What a series! The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to carry their impressive home performance from Game Four into Game Five. Minnesota showed remarkable resiliency last game after blowing two different 25+ point leads in Game Three. That easily could have sunk any team and derailed them entirely for the remainder of the series; however, the T’Wolves bounced back with a narrow one-point home victory. Now, they are tasked with winning their last home game (Game Six) and one of two games in Memphis if they want to advance to the Western Semi-Finals and shock the league.
Meanwhile, Memphis was upset about the officiating in Game Four, which did at times seem to fail them. Head coach Taylor Jenkins pulled no punches in the post-game presser, criticizing the officiating for several minutes and consequently getting fined. Scarcely does Jenkins point the finger anywhere except inwards, but this game was an exception. Regardless, the Grizzlies know what they have to do to advance: win two more games, and it doesn’t matter the quantity of victory or quality of play they do it by. Below, I cover the betting lines for this game and give my two cents on which team I believe will come out victorious, so check it out!
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies Betting Odds
Frankly, I’m not going to mess around with the spread here. It will likely be a single-digit game that could come down to one or two possessions, and I don’t think there’s enough value to go in either direction. However, I will gladly take the Memphis Grizzlies against the spread at home.
Despite a high-scoring Game Four, I will lean towards the under in this matchup. Game Five is critical in a series tied 2-2, so I think we will see better defense from the Grizzlies and fewer foul calls/game stoppage.
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How To Watch
Date: 4/26/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: FedExForum – Memphis, TN
Channel: TNT
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Minnesota Timberwolves Starting Lineup
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Patrick Beverley
SF: Anthony Edwards
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Karl Anthony-Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves Analysis
Isn’t it ironic? The Grizzlies traded Eric Bledsoe and his contract for Rajon Rondo and Patrick Beverley less than one year ago. Now, Beverley is haunting the Grizzlies in the playoffs after they traded him one day after acquiring him in August of last year. Patrick Beverley is not the kind of player who forgets these things. Look no further than the enormous play-in game win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Beverley has wholly reshaped the outlook for the Wolves’ organization, which I and many others have highly criticized over the years. They have managed to win two games over one of the hottest teams in basketball and keep their superstar Ja Morant in check. If the Wolves can force Morant to keep passing the ball and hold Desmond Bane to reasonable shooting numbers, they have a legitimate shot at advancing in the playoffs.
Memphis Grizzlies Starting Lineup
PG: Ja Morant
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Dillon Brooks
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Xavier Tillman
Memphis Grizzlies Analysis
The NBA Playoffs are never easy. Memphis is getting a taste of that right now in this first-round battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even though Ja Morant posted a triple-double and a 32-point game in Game One, he has been held in check for the most part. Morant has been getting walloped on dribble drives to the rim and has been put on his back several times. That can get exhausting and make it more attractive to settle for jump shots or become more passive offensively. Besides a few moments, Morant has shown incredible poise for such a young player, though. He has used the attention that Minnesota is giving him defensively to find other open players like Desmond Bane, who has had a few monstrous games in this series. Other guys will need to step up in this series if Memphis wants to knock off one of the hottest teams since the All-Star break. That list includes Jaren Jackson Jr and Dillon Brooks explicitly; they have struggled at times throughout this series. Jackson can hardly stay on the floor due to foul trouble, and Brooks has been very inefficient in two of the four games.
