Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Game 5 Odds, Spread and Picks

• The Minnesota Timberwolves are in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies in pivotal Game 5 of their first round series
• Minnesota evened up the series at 2-2 with a win in Game 4
• See the Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Game 5 odds and preview and prediction below

After playing to a draw through four games of their opening round series, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are down to a best-of-3.

The all-important Game 5 goes Tuesday night from the FedExForum in Memphis. Tip-off is set for 7:30pm ET, in a game that can be seen live on TNT.

Minnesota evened up the series 2-2 with a tight 119-118 Game 4 win, a huge rebound after blowing a pair of separate 20-point leads in a Game 3 collapse.

Still, oddsmakers are leaning to the 2nd-seeded Grizz in this one, pegging them as 6-point home favorites.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Game 5 Odds

Odds as of April 24th at Caesars Sportsbook

Timberwolves Betting Analysis

Perhaps it’s as simple as Karl-Anthony Towns being Minnesota’s best player for them to be successful.

After laying a dud in a Game 3 loss — where he tallied eight points and had more fouls (5) than field goal attempts (4) — Towns returned to his all-star form.

Karl-Anthony Towns:

33 PTS
14 REB
5/12 on 2PA (41.7%)
3/5 on 3PA (60.0%)
14/17 on FTA (82.4%)

KAT is so hard to defend in these Horns actions, especially coming off a great PatBev screen like this one.pic.twitter.com/xNn51ThTOR

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 24, 2022

The Wolves’ big man led the team with 33 points and 14 rebounds, shooting a crisp 8-for-17 from the field. He matched his Game 3 point total in the first quarter. Towns stayed aggressive all game, making 17 trips to the free throw line and hitting 14, including two in the dying seconds to put the game on ice.

As a team, Minnesota was relentless in attacking the hoop, drawing a whopping 33 fouls and 40 free throws. They outscored the Grizzlies 31-19 at the stripe.

😤 @theantedwards_ was all over the court in Minnesota's Game 4 win.

24 points
4 threes
4 assists
2 steals
3 blocks#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/jlTKfo72Kb

— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2022

Towns had a lot of help, including a terrific effort from second-year man Anthony Edwards. After a non-contact knee injury crumpled him to the ground in the second quarter, he returned to score 24 points, with four boards and four dimes, while drilling 4-for-8 from downtown.

An unlikely source of offense also came by the way of 3rd-year reserve Jordan McLaughlin. A DNP in Game 3, he was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range en route to 16 points.

The T-Wolves shot 18-for-36 from downtown, a 50% clip.

Grizzlies Betting Analysis

Memphis did a lot of things right in Game 4, but their leading man, Ja Morant, struggled, and you could argue that was the difference in a game with such tight margins.

The runaway favorite in the 2022 NBA Most Improved Player odds, Morant was just 4-for-13 from the field, with 11 points, though he did have 15 assists and eight rebounds. This after coming off his first career playoff triple-double in a Game 3 win.

"Three-game series now. And we've got an opportunity with two of them at home."

Ja Morant on the Game 4 loss ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/pdFgzlUCcF

— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) April 24, 2022

Morant’s scoring output has trended downward every game since opening with 32 points in Game 1. His 11 points in Game 4 were a career-playoff low.

Still, he made the right play late in the game when he spotted Tyus Jones on the wing for what would have been a game-tying three. Jones’ jumper was short.

Desmond Bane set the @memgrizz playoff record with 8 threes tonight.

He was throwing darts until the final whistle. pic.twitter.com/y3HksA0LEY

— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2022

Backcourt mate Desmond Bane had no such problems offensively. The second-year sharpshooter followed up a playoff-best 26 points and seven three-pointers in Game 3 with a game-high 34 points and a sparkling 8-for-15 mark from downtown. Dillon Brooks also chipped in with 24 points, though he did have four turnovers.

The Grizzlies could also use some production from big man Jaren Jackson Jr, who has found himself in foul trouble almost every game in this series. He fouled out in Game 4, and has had five fouls two other games. JJJ is putting up just 10.3 points per game — a full six points down from his regular season average – on 37.8% shooting from the field.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Pick

Memphis had the third-best home record in the NBA this year, one of only three teams that cracked the 30-win plateau (30-11).

They also own the best home record against the spread, a sparkling 28-15 overall this year. Their ability to bounce back is solid too, with an 18-9 ATS mark coming off a loss.

The T-Wolves were just 20-21 on the road this year, but that didn’t stop them from stealing Game 1 in Memphis.

After double-digit wins in the first two games, it’s tightened up, to single-digit results the last two games. It makes me wary of the big spread.

Instead, it looks like both teams have found their offensive footing. Look for the two highest-scoring teams in the regular season to go at it in this crucial tilt.

The pick: OVER 232.5 (-110)