The Memphis Grizzlies will try to regain home-court advantage in their best-of-seven first round Western Conference 2022 NBA playoffs series when they square off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a pivotal Game 3 on Thursday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The No. 2 seed in the West, the Grizzlies lost home-court advantage with a 130-117 loss in Game 1 on Saturday. They responded with a 28-point blowout of the seventh-seeded Timberwolves in Game 2, but still need to win at least one game in Minneapolis to win the series.
Tipoff for Game 3 is 6:30 p.m. ET. Memphis is listed as a two-point favorite in the latest Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves odds from Caesars Sportsbook while the over-under for total points scored is 236.5. Before making any Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies picks or NBA predictions, be sure to check out what SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters the first full week of the 2022 NBA playoffs on a stunning 86-56 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $2,400. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves, and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies:
- Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves spread: Memphis -2
- Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves over-under: 236.5 points
- Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves money line: Memphis -130, Timberwolves +110
- MEM: The Grizzlies led the league in rebounds per game during the regular season (49.2)
- MIN: The Timberwolves led the NBA in 3-pointers made during the regular season (1,211)
Featured Game | Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Why the Grizzlies can cover
Memphis has been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season. Between the beginning of December and the end of the regular season, the Grizzlies gave up 107.3 points per 100 possessions, which ranked second in the league, behind only the Celtics (106.7). Memphis held opponents to 44.9 percent shooting from the field over that span, which was the fourth best in the league.
In addition, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins’ defensive adjustments on Karl-Anthony Towns has worked. After Steven Adams struggled to defend Towns in Game 1 (29 points on 11-of-18 shooting), Jenkins played Adams just three minutes in Game 2 and deployed Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Xavier Tillman on Towns. The adjustments helped limit Towns to just 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Why the Timberwolves can cover
Minnesota is the most prolific 3-point shooting team in the NBA. The Timberwolves made 1,211 3-pointers during the regular season, which was 19 more than the next closest team, Utah. Malik Beasley led the team with 240 3-pointers made. So far this series, Minnesota has made 27 3-pointers.
In addition, Anthony Edwards is having his breakthrough moment. In the last two weeks alone Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, scored 49 points against San Antonio, 30 points in the Play-In win against the Clippers and 36 points in the Game 1 victory over Memphis. Since the All-Star break his shooting percentage has improved (from 43.5 to 45.9) as well as his 3-point shooting percentage (35.5 to 36.4).
How to make Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under the total, predicting a combined 227 points. The model also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.