When: Thursday, January 18th, 9:00 P.M.
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
How to Watch/Stream: TNT, Bally Sports Southeast
If you’re anything like us, we watch the Memphis Grizzlies nightly. Even as the Grizzlies injury list piled up over the course of four months, we tuned in. So many of us were looking for something positive during these dark times of Grizzlies Injury Reports to stay locked in on a nightly basis with this team.
Well, Tuesday morning the national media was buzzing about a 19 year old rookie, and a guy that once was on a two-way contract when the season started – GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr and how they took down the Golden State Warriors.
In a season that has been so dark, finally, some light. The past is history, tonight, Memphis takes on the number one team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
I figured we would get through the bad news rather quickly, and hit everyone with the good news – as Santi Aldama and Jaren Jackson Jr. are back to fully healthy it appears. More good news? The Timberwolves are in a dog fight with the Detroit Pistons as I write this.
Memphis will play Minnesota in their second game of a home-and-home back-to-back. It could be beneficial that Memphis comes in with fresh legs, but with their age, and against a veteran roster like Minnesota’s, it could be a curse as well.
This will be the Timberwolves first back-to-back since December 21st of last year (the new years jokes are still funny). Since these last two teams play back on December 8th, Memphis’ defense has progressed, even with guys in and out of rotations. Minnesota dropped 127 points in their last meeting on December 8th, which is something Memphis has tightened down on. Since their last meeting Memphis has moved up to ninth in defense (114.2 per game).
I doubt we see many Timberwolves sit out of this game, as they’re riding a three game wining streak into this one and leading the Western Conference standings.
The Grizzlies will have to make this game messy for the Timberwolves, but that starts defensively. Keeping a perennial All-Star in Anthony Edwards off his game is a dream as he is just of those dudes. Williams Jr., has done a great job this season of defending All-Star players, and even getting praise from those guys as well.
Prediction:
Historically, these are two franchises that have battled each time they’ve met one another at either arena. The odds are stack against Memphis due to injuries, and they’ve embraced that with a bull dog mentality.
My prediction is Memphis keeps it close, but Minnesota pulls it out in the fourth quarter (I’d love to be wrong).