The Memphis Grizzlies will be looking to return to winning ways in the NBA when they make the trip to the Target Center to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday morning.
The Timberwolves (20-17) are seventh in the Western Conference standings, while the Grizz (24-14) are third heading into the final round of matches in week 12 of the season.
Match preview
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are enjoying a nice run of form recently, having won six of their last nine games, and they are now gunning for a fourth straight win after routing the Orlando Magic 104-89 on the road on Friday.
Julius Randle led the team to victory with 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Edwards contributed 21 points and seven assists, and Naz Reid put up 16 points and three assists off the bench.
Minnesota came flying out the gate against the short-handed Magic, outscoring their opponents 29-18 in the first half before extending their lead to 24 in the second quarter, and they managed to game well from then on to end a seven-game losing streak against Eastern Conference opponents.
Orlando did not play as poorly as the scoreline suggests, but the major difference between the sides became evident in the fourth quarter when the Timberwolves were 12 for 28 (43%) from beyond the arc while the Magic were 6 for 30 (20%).
Chris Finch's side are now averaging 108.9 points per game (22nd in the NBA), but they play elite-level defence, ranked fourth overall in the league, allowing 107.2 PPG and just 97.3 across their last three.
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Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies have now split their last 10 games, five wins and five defeats, after coming up short 119-115 to the Houston Rockets in a matchup between the second and third-ranked teams in the West.
Making his return to the court from injury, Ja Morant led the side with 27 points and three assists, Jaren Jackson Jr added 21 points and eight rebounds, and Desmond Bane chipped in with 16 points and four assists.
Memphis managed to reduce a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to just a single point heading into the final minute of the match, but a jumper from Fred VanVleet took the Rockets three clear and ultimately proved to be the difference at the final buzzer.
Notably, the Grizz were uncharacteristically poor with their ball security against Houston's sturdy defence, committing 19 turnovers, while they also struggled to create much, managing just 20 assists in total during the match.
The result meant Taylor Jenkins's men fell 1.5 games behind the number two spot, but are still the second-highest-scoring team in the NBA, averaging 122.9 PPG, while they have dropped to 21st on the defensive end, allowing 114.8 PPG.
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Team News
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The Timberwolves' number eight pick from this summer's NBA draft, Rob Dillingham, has not featured in the side's last seven games owing to a right ankle sprain, and he is likely to remain sidelined for a while longer.
Aside from Dillingham, the Timberwolves have a full roster available, barring Jesse Edwards and Tristen Newton, who are on two-way contracts, while Terrence Shannon Jr is on G League assignment.
Ahead of the Rockets' game, the Grizzlies had as many as seven players listed on their injury report but cleared all of Morant, Bane, Jackson Jr and Santi Aldama ahead of tip-off, and all of them should be available for the trip to the Target Center.
Young forward GG Jackson has missed all season with a metatarsal injury but has now been assigned to the G League for practice, Marcus Smart is out with an injury to his right index finger, and Vince Williams Jr is still nursing a right ankle sprain.
Minnesota Timberwolves possible starting five:
Reid, Randle, Gobert, Edwards, DiVicenzo
Memphis Grizzlies possible starting five:
Jackson Jr, Wells, Edey, Morant, Bane
We say: Memphis Grizzlies to win by 2+ points
The Timberwolves are entering this match with momentum on their side, but the Grizzlies are getting healthier with each match, and the return of Ja Morant evidently improved their performance, albeit in defeat last time out.
Memphis have been sensational on offence this season, and while Minnesota's defence is one of the best in the league, we feel the visitors will be able to edge the result in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
