The Minnesota Timberwolves survived Game 4 with a 119-118 win to tie their best-of-seven first-round series versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Minnesota visits Memphis on Tuesday for a pivotal Game 5.
Game 4 looked headed to a deja vu of Game 3 when Minnesota almost blew another double-digit lead. The Timberwolves led by as much as 15 points and had a seven-point lead with 1:28 remaining in the fourth. But Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and co. held on to get even with the no. 2 seeded Grizzlies.
After an incredibly disappointing Game 3 performance, Towns dominated with 33 points and 14 rebounds. Anthony Edwards added 24 points as he continues to have a terrific postseason debut. The Timberwolves shot 50.0 percent (18-of-36) from the three-point line and had a double-digit freethrow attempts advantage over the Grizzlies.
Memphis had their chances to head back home with a commanding 3-1 lead, but ultimately came up short. Desmond Bane poured in 34 points with eight three-pointers, while Dillon Brooks added 24 points.
This series seems like it could go down the wire, with both teams being extremely close in terms of talent and experience. This should be an exciting Game 5 to see which team will gain the advantage. With that said, let's move on to the three Timberwolves bold predictions for Game 5.
Timberwolves-Grizzlies Game 5 Predictions
3. D'Angelo Russell will play better
Despite a couple of horrible outings in Games 2 and 3, Karl-Anthony Towns still had a pair of dominant performances that led to Minnesota's two wins in this series. Anthony Edwards has also been the Timberwolves' most consistent star so far, averaging 24.8 points while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three in his first taste of the postseason. Minnesota's role players are also playing to their strengths. The one missing link so far has been D'Angelo Russell.
Russell is still the Timberwolves' third-leading scorer in this series. But he is averaging just 13.3 points and shooting just 30.9 percent from the field. The 26-year-old is going to need to step up offensively to give KAT and Ant Man the third scoring punch they need to really gain an edge over the Grizzlies. On paper, it's arguable that the Timberwolves have three of the four best players in this series. Russell needs to prove that and he could do just that in Game 5 after an underwhelming first four games so far.
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2. The Timberwolves will make Ja Morant a passer once again
The Timberwolves have held Ja Morant to just 20.5 points on 40.0 percent shooting in this series, which is a far cry from his 27.4 points on 49.3 percent output in the regular season. In fact, Morant is Memphis' second-leading scorer behind Desmond Bane through four games.
The newly-minted Most Improved Player may be making an impact through his playmaking, averaging 10.8 assists so far in this series. But Morant's shot attempts have gone down to just over 16 per game, down from nearly 21 in the regular year. It seems like Minnesota is more content on making Morant a passer and getting the ball out of the dynamic point guard's hands.
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1. Minnesota will take 3-2 series lead heading back home
The Timberwolves are going to shock the no. 2 seeded Grizzlies and will take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Minnesota. Apart from the Game 2 blowout loss and even despite their colossal collapse in Game 3, Minnesota has had control for a good chunk of this series so far.
The Timberwolves have held several double-digit leads, including a 26-point lead in their Game 3 loss. But like any relatively young team, they are susceptible to dry spells and can go through rough stretches where they fail to take advantage of their huge leads.
Nonetheless, Minnesota has proven it can hang with Memphis. And they should prove that by winning the pivotal Game 5 on the Grizzlies home floor.
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