The Only Series That Can Reach A Game 7

The Grizzlies are trying to advance to the Western Conference Semis where the Warriors are waiting, while the T-Wolves are trying to force a GAME 7. Who you got? 🍿 (4 min read)

Author

Cooper Halpern
April 29, 2022

Katy Adams, Mollie Pimentel and Haley Rodriques all get T-Shirts, here's the video for proof 😉. Tonight's parlay is Grizzlies -1.5 @ T-Wolves and Ja Morant over 27.5 points. More info below on a chance to win $100 👇

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

Friday's Only NBA Game

Well the Mavs got lucky last night...Bojan Bogdanovic missed an open three to force a Game 7. And, with the Suns knocking out the Pelicans, plus the Sixers taking care of the Raptors, the only first round series with the potential to go the distance features the two youngest playoff teams this season, the Grizzlies and Timberwolves. Here are the series' scoring leaders and their ages 👇

  • Anthony Edwards (24.2 PPG), 20 years old

  • Desmond Bane (23.6 PPG), 23 years old

  • Karl-Anthony Towns (22.6 PPG), 26 years old

  • Ja Morant (22.4 PPG), 22 years old

So far, this matchup has been a lot closer than the two teams' respective seeding suggests. The Grizzlies' night-to-night effort and depth advantage is less valuable in the postseason, while the Timberwolves have seemingly gotten hot at the perfect time 🔥

  • However, Minnesota blew two 25-point leads in Game 3 and a 13-point edge in the fourth quarter of Game 5 before ultimately losing both

Now, the T-Wolves need to win two games in a row if they hope to advance and take on the red-hot Warriors. Take a look at the lines heading into tonight 👇

  • Spread: Grizzlies -1.5

  • Moneyline: Grizzlies -120 (bet $120, win $100), Timberwolves +102 (bet $100, win $102)

  • Over/Under: 229

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Ja's Historic Fourth

In Game 5, Ja Morant threw down what industry insiders immediately called one of the greatest dunks in NBA history 😍. If you haven't seen it yet that is a much watch...

Despite being down 11 to start the fourth, Ja's epic slam sparked an offensive surge for the Grizz, eventually scoring 37 points in the quarter to the Wolves' 24, giving them a two-point victory. As the clock wound down, Ja proved to be as clutch as Memphis needed, drilling a go-ahead three with just a minute left, and then sneaking past Jarred Vanderbilt for the game-winning lefty lay-in

  • With his 18 fourth quarter points, 13 boards, and nine assists, Morant became just the second player in franchise history with at least 30 points and 10 boards in a playoff game

  • At just 22 years old, Ja's got plenty of time to continue rewriting the record books 💯

Trivia Question: If Ja were to lead the Grizzlies to a championship and earn Finals MVP, he'd become the fourth 22-year-old in NBA history to win the award. Who are the only three to have done it? (answer below)

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Which KAT Will We Get?

Minnesota had one All-Star this season, but you wouldn't know it through the five games this series. Against the Grizzlies, check out Karl-Anthony Towns' point totals 👇

  • Game 1: 29 pts

  • Game 2: 15 pts

  • Game 3: 8 pts

  • Game 4: 33 pts

  • Game 5: 28 pts

If the Timberwolves are going to win the series' final two games, they'll likely need the self-proclaimed greatest-shooting big man of all-time to bring his A-game

  • The Wolves won every regular season game in which KAT had over 35 points

  • They've won the lone playoff game where he had at least 30

Theoretically, his shooting should be a massive advantage for the Wolves, considering these regular season trends 👇

But things haven't quite gone according to script...

  • Minnesota has taken almost five fewer threes per game in the playoffs compared to the regular season, despite playing at a faster pace

  • They have the third-worst offensive rating of all 16 playoff teams (only the already-eliminated Hawks and Bulls were worse)

If the T-Wolves want to avoid elimination, KAT needs to look for his shot early and often, and the whole team (still shooting over 38% from range) needs to continue hunting for good looks from beyond the arc 👌

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

With the spread so close, this is as tight as it gets to a pick 'em. I've got the Grizz in six, moving on to face the Warriors, with a big Ja performance carrying them to the finish line. If you expect things to shake out like I do, bet the Grizzlies' line with Ja's over. Check it out 👇

  • Grizzlies -1.5 @ Timberwolves: -108

  • Ja Morant over 27.5 points: -106

$100 on this bet would win you $274 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

Trivia Answer: Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan were both 22 when they won their first Finals MVP awards. Magic was also 22 when he won the award -- but that was his second time. He'd already become the youngest-ever Finals MVP two years earlier when he won the award in his rookie season at age 20 👶

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