Memphis Grizzlies - Minnesota Timberwolves: Bets and Odds for the match on 16 April

In Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, the Memphis Grizzlies host the Minnesota Timberwolves. The match will take place on 16 April at 10:30 PM (+3 UTC). The Grizzlies were the second-best team in the league record-wise and are firm favorites for the Finals. On the other hand, the Timberwolves won against the Clippers and qualified for the Play-in tournament. This promises to be an uptempo high-scoring encounter.

Win/Lose/Handicap: Bookmakers from 22Bet clearly favor the Grizzlies to win this game with the odds of 1.31. This is a no-brainer considering how the Grizzlies obliterated even elite squads by 20+ points on their home floor. There is no doubt that the team will be revved up here during the Postseason. I believe it will be worth a shot to take the Grizzlies with the handicap of -9.5 that has the odds of 2.29 (Handicap 1 -9.5)

Player Props: Bookmakers at Bet365 predict that the odds of Steven Adams going past 11.5 rebounds(at least 15 points) are 1.74 here. Adams is an elite rebounder who can deal a fair bit of damage as the offensive rebounder as well and averaged around 11 for the season. He will play a great deal as he will draw the assignment of Karl Anthony-Towns so I see him go over the 11.5 mark here (Player Props: Player Rebounds: Steven Adams Over 11.5)

Bookmakers at 1xBet suggest that the odds of Grizzlies going Over 120.5 are 1.86. The Playoffs see a reduction in scoring compared to the Regular Season so usually such high-scoring games are far and few. However, the way Grizzlies play, I would still bet over the total going past 120 here. I’d go for a total of Over 120.5 here considering the Timberwolves' defense can be a bit lax away from home. (Total 1 Over 120.5)

This game is available on the NBA League Pass.

Grizzlies were a fairytale story of the season, as a young squad they were expected to be in the fringes of the Playoffs but their elite level of play improved at a blooming rate. They are one of the deepest teams in the league and won around 75% of their games even without their ace scorer and playmaker Ja Morant. They led the league in steals and blocks, also being an elite rebounding team, that allowed them to collect a bunch of Fastbreak points and break the game wide open in a quick fashion. The pace does slow down during the Playoffs but I don’t think Grizzlies’ offense will be on the breaks here and I see them hit high gear in this game. With Morant, Bane, Jackson, Brooks, Adams, Jones, Melton, Clarke, and Anderson, the team is deep and they can even sweet this series.

The Timberwolves won the Play-in game but they will face the behemoth of the Grizzlies. Their style is similar to the Grizzlies, which means that this is a team that likes to put shots up quickly into the shot-clock. This style of play matches well against the Grizzlies but the trouble comes with the depth. The offensive burden on Anthony-Towns, Edwards, and Russell will be huge here and the physicality of the Grizzlies doesn’t suit the Timberwolves all that well to be honest. Therefore, they have their work cut out in this game, and away from home, the team has shown vulnerabilities. I am not saying that they don’t stand a chance but the offensive and defensive balance both look way too much tilted towards the Grizzlies here.

• Grizzlies most likely starting five: PG: Ja Morant | SG: Desmond Bane | SF: Dillon Brooks | PF: Jaren Jackson Jr | C: Steven Adams;
• Timberwolves most likely starting five: PG: D’Angelo Russell | PG: Patrick Beverley | SF: Anthony Edwards | PF: Jarred Vanderbilt | C: Karl Anthony-Towns.