Game Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies

When: Sunday, November 26th, 5:00 PM

Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN

How to Watch/Stream: Bally Sports Southeast

The Memphis Grizzlies return to the court on Sunday afternoon, and hopefully they have a singular goal in mind: score more than 100 points. The Grizzlies have scored 100 or less points in three straight games, tied for the longest such steak of games during the Taylor Jenkins-Zach Kleiman era. Memphis is now 5-40 under Jenkins when scoring 100 points or less during his time as the Memphis coach. Simply put, the Grizzlies ability to win is slim to none at their current rate of offense.

Unfortunately, accomplishing this goal will be much easier said than done with the Minnesota Timberwolves in town. They currently are the best team in the Western Conference, mainly due to their defense. The Timberwolves (11-4) come into this game featuring a Top 3 defense in the league while Memphis enters the contest currently with a Bottom 3 offense. On paper, it certainly is not a favorable matchup for Memphis.

If there is a silver lining, the Timberwolves will be without one of the NBA’s best defenders in Jaden Mcdaniels, who is out for multiple weeks with an ankle injury. This could allow for the Memphis to have a bit more success in finding good looks from the perimeter. In their last game against the Kings, the Timberwolves allowed 17 threes at a 48.5% clip. The end result was their fourth loss of the season and only the third time they had allowed 120+ points this season. This is not meant to suggest the Grizzlies will score 120+ points, just that with how focused the Grizzlies are on shooting threes this season, the hope is a few more may fall this afternoon.

With another difficult matchup in place, how can Memphis find a much, much needed win? It starts with hitting good shots:

Win the Three Point Battle

Currently, the Grizzlies attempt the 4th most threes per game win the NBA. The Timberwolves attempt the 4th fewest threes per game. However, Memphis is has the second worst 3P% in the league, and their best shooter, Desmond Bane, may still be limited from the minor ankle injury he suffered on Wednesday. In other words, the rest of the Grizzlies roster must shoot better than they have so far this season for the Grizzlies to win this game.

Straightforward, this statement is based solely on hope and stating the obvious rather than confidence it will happen. The Timberwolves are the second best team in the league defending above the break threes, and the Grizzlies have the second lowest corner 3P% in the NBA. Even with McDaniels, Minnesota knows Memphis wants to get going from three early, so they will look to limit good looks for the Grizzlies. Smart passing, decisive actions, and Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. passing out of double teams will be keys for the offense.

Defend the Paint

As good as the Timberwolves are defensively, the Grizzlies can boast just as stout of a defense when it comes to the paint and the rim. There is no doubt that Minnesota has the better offense inside the arc, but with various lineups featuring Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bismack Biyombo, the Grizzlies can feature just as good of a defense inside the arc.

Minnesota is going to look to get into the paint, as they take more nom-rim paint shots than any other team in the league and are one of most productive mid-range teams in the league. The Grizzlies have to make sure that they stay in position to contest as many looks as possible. While the Grizzlies have struggled defending the three all season, their defense inside the arc will be just as significant against Minnesota.

Memphis has to find ways to score early and they need a big game from three to win this game. They also must ensure that Karl Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards do not take over the game offensively. This is going to be two hard tasks to accomplish in the same game. But if they can have some sort of success in both areas, while at least one of Jackson Jr. and Bane have a big game of their own, perhaps Memphis can find itself within range of achieving an upset victory.

At this point, the hope for Memphis is to not be more than 10 games below .500 once Ja returns. That means earning unexpected victories, and tonight will be a great start. Yes, it can be done, but Memphis must find offensive success early and then create more possessions in order to find a way to win. Perhaps they can get the job done and earn their first home victory of the season.