Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Odds and Picks

• The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to play the Memphis Grizzlies at 8pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 13th
• The Timberwolves enter the game at 20-21 overall, while the Grizzlies come in at 29-14 on the year
• See below for the latest odds, analysis and the best bet

A showdown between two Western Conference playoff teams will take place at 8pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 13th when the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in Memphis.

Minnesota enters the game at 20-21 on the year and is 5-5 in its last 10 games, currently floating around the 6-9 seed range in the West. The Timberwolves are coming off of a last-second 128-125 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday in New Orleans.

Memphis has been the hottest team in the league as of late, riding a 10-game winning streak to hold a record of 29-14 overall. The Grizzlies, in fourth place in the West, are coming off of a 116-108 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in Memphis.

Going into the game, the Grizzlies are listed as early 5.5-point favorites over the Timberwolves.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Odds

Odds as of Jan. 13th from FanDuel

Injury Report

The Grizzlies will be without Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Yves Pons (ankle), with Steven Adams (illness) listed as questionable. For the Timberwolves, they will also be missing a few players with Leandro Bolmaro (health and safety protocols) and McKinley Wright (G League) officially out and Jaylen Nowell (ankle) listed as doubtful.

Guard Play Lifting Grizzlies

Memphis has been playing some of the best basketball in the league lately and have some asking if the Grizzlies are a legitimate contender in the Western Conference and even for a NBA Championship. If their recent play continues moving forward, the Grizzlies will continue to climb the standings and will become one of the top squads in the NBA, although they are already on their way right now.

During the 10-game winning streak that began back on Dec. 26th, the guard play for Memphis has been one of keys to the hot stretch, mainly the play of Ja Morant and Brooks with strong contributions from Desmond Bane, De’Anthony Melton and Tyus Jones behind them. This season, the guard group has combined to score 72.3 points per game, which is the fifth-highest point total among guard units in the league.

Individually, Morant is making a case for being considered NBA MVP this season, averaging an impressive 24.9 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and even out-dueled Steph Curry in Tuesday night’s win. Behind Morant, Brooks is averaging 18.4 points and 1.3 steals and Bane is averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Wolves Starters Stepping Up

Coming into Thursday, Minnesota has won four of its last five games, with a four-game winning streak coming to a close on Tuesday. The Wolves finally have most of their roster back on the court after recently seeing a bulk of the roster miss time in health and safety protocols.

regroup and bounce back 🐺 pic.twitter.com/a8WXrOHxMg

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 12, 2022

One of the keys to Minnesota’s success this season has been its most used starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Patrick Beverley, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Karl-Anthony Towns, which has been one of the best starting units in the NBA. In a total of 14 games together thus far, that group has the best Net Rating among starting lineups in the NBA (44.6). That same group holds the fourth-best offensive rating (111.3) and the 10th-best defensive rating (88.4).

Minnesota’s offense has been impressive over the last five-game span, averaging 124.2 points per game while giving up 110 points a game. Leading the way for the Wolves has been the trio of Towns, Edwards and Russell, with Towns tallying a team-best 24.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 blocks. Edwards has added 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals, followed by Russell averaging 18.6 points, seven assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Prediction and Best Bet

Both teams have been playing some solid basketball and have surprised many this season, but nobody has been able to slow down Memphis lately and the Grizzlies are without a doubt the hottest team in the league led by Morant. The Grizzlies should be able to take care of business and extend their winning streak to 11 straight at home against the Timberwolves.

The Pick: Over 229 (-110)