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The second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies struggled out of the gate in Saturday's playoff opener, losing Game 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies gave up a whopping 130 points in the loss and now need to regroup after losing home-court advantage.
This young Memphis team has been resilient all season, so expect them to come out with fire on their home court. The Timberwolves won't back down, but the Grizzlies will come out with more of a purpose in order to tie up this series. The home crowd in Memphis will certainly be fired up to help their team get back in this series.
Ahead of a highly anticipated Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, here are three bold Memphis Grizzlies predictions.
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Grizzlies Game 2 predictions vs. Timberwolves
3. Hold KAT to under 20 points
Karl-Anthony Towns got going early in the first game, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. He ended with 29 points and 13 rebounds on 11/18 from the floor. This can't happen again for the Grizzlies, and in Game 2, it won't. In fact, Towns won't score more than 20 points. The team seemed to slow down Towns a bit after his hot start. In the first seven minutes of the contest, the All-Star center scored 12 points while hitting all five of his shots. In the remaining 41 minutes, he scored 17 points on 6/13 from the field. It still makes for a very good night, but the Grizzlies did seem to figure out how to slow him down a little bit.
Similar to the Clippers' game plan in the play-in, the Grizzlies should be forcing Towns to give up the ball. The Clippers did this by putting a smaller defender on Towns and using Jarred Vanderbilt's defender to help. Jaren Jackson Jr. will be crucial in attempting to slow down Towns, as will veteran Steven Adams. It will be especially important to limit his makes from deep, as Towns shot 41% from 3 this season. If they do that, he'll stay under 20 points on the night.
2. Jaren Jackson Jr. scores 25+
We all know Jaren Jackson Jr. is known for his defensive abilities, but the center has offensive capabilities as well. Jackson began this series with a disappointing offensive performance in Game 1. The Grizzlies are going to need his best in Game 2 if they are going to win. Offensively, he scored just 12 points on 4/13 in the opener. Perhaps mostly importantly, the Michigan State product went 0/5 from behind the arc. His ability to stretch the floor is crucial for this team, especially with Steven Adams clogging up the paint. With that being said, the opportunities for him were there. The 32% 3-point shooter had good looks, he just missed them.
He averaged over 16 points per contest in the regular season, fourth-best on the team. Jackson scored more than 25 points in a game eight times this season. While none of them came against the Timberwolves in any of their four meetings, he was able to score more than 20 twice. In Game 2, Jackson will explode for 25+ en route to a Grizzlies victory.
1. Win by 15+
All season long, this Grizzlies team has been known for their gritty yet fearless attitude on the floor. It led them all the way to earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. While Saturday's loss came as a shocker to many, Game 2 becomes must-win territory for them at home.
Going down 2-0 heading on the road to Minnesota would make for a very difficult task. But I'm here to tell you that won't happen. In fact, the Grizzlies will beat the Timberwolves soundly, even by more than 15 points. The Timberwolves have presented problems to the Grizzlies this season, as the two sides split the four-game regular-season series. Patrick Beverley plays tough defense on Ja Morant, and the Timberwolves have the perfect answer for Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. in Karl-Anthony Towns.
With that being said, the Grizzlies will come out hungry in this one. With a young, inexperienced group, Game 1 was a needed wakeup call. In the regular season, there's time to go through those struggles. In the postseason, there's no time for that. But the growing pain is out of the way. Anthony Edwards and Towns will not combine for 65 points on 56% again. If they do, tip the cap because series over, Memphis. Led by Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant, the Grizzlies will tie the series heading into Game 3 in Minnesota. This has all the makings of a long and fun series.
