At the end of the first quarter on Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies had yet to assert themselves in the playoffs. They had a one-point lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they weren't playing Grizzlies-style basketball. They kept sending Minnesota to the line, they weren't getting out on the break and they weren't doing much damage on the glass.
Given that they were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and had surrendered home-court advantage by losing Game 1 of their first-round series, there was cause for concern. What followed, though, was a stampede. Memphis had a double-digit lead by halftime, a 20-point lead a few minutes into the third quarter and a 30-point lead about halfway through the fourth. By the end of the Grizzlies' 124-96 victory, it was clear why they were the favorites.
Can Memphis maintain that momentum in Minneapolis? Here's everything you need to know about Game 3 on Thursday.
(7) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (2) Memphis Grizzlies
- When: Thursday, April 21 | 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Target Center -- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
- Odds: MEM -140; MIN +120 I O/U: 237 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Grizzlies: Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins made his most important adjustment less than three minutes into the game, replacing big man Steven Adams with Brandon Clarke. Adams, who started in 75 of the 76 games he played in the regular season, did not return; Memphis used Jaren Jackson Jr., Clarke and reserve big Xavier Tillman in the middle. Tillman, a second-year player who looks, plays and sounds older than his 23 years, stands 6-foot-8, three inches smaller than Adams, but is more mobile and about as sturdy. Four Grizzlies reserves -- Clarke, Tillman, guard Tyus Jones and forward Ziaire Wiliiams -- scored in double figures, and they shot a combined 18 for 28. Has Jenkins solved the puzzle, and can the bench sustain this level of production on the road?
Timberwolves: The Timberwolves were lousy on both ends for most of Game 2. Offensively, they need Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards to take care of the ball despite all the physicality and length that Memphis is bringing to the party, and it wouldn't hurt if D'Angelo Russell broke out of his shooting slump. The most pressing issue, though, is on the defensive end: Does Minnesota have a viable pick-and-roll coverage against Ja Morant? The Grizzlies star had 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in Game 2, and those counting stats undersell his individual dominance. Morant got wherever he wanted, and Memphis was plus-24 in his 30 minutes.
Prediction
In front of what should be a wild home crowd, I expect the Wolves to look much better than they did in the second half on Tuesday. That does not, however, mean that I'm picking the underdogs to take control of the series. I'll take the Grizzlies, and I'll be paying particular attention to how they fare in the halfcourt. That was supposedly their Achilles' heel coming into the playoffs, but you wouldn't have known that in Game 2. Pick: Grizzlies -2.5
