Trent Reinsmith
- What: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Date: Friday, January 27, 2023
- Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports SE-MEM
An important Western Conference game goes down tonight at the Target Center when the Memphis Grizzlies visit the home of the Minnesota Timberwolves during Week 15 of the 2023 NBA season.
Memphis comes into the game as the No. 2 team in the Western Conference, but the Grizzlies are riding the team’s longest losing skid of the 2023 season. The club is 0-4, dating back to January 20. Before Memphis lost four games in a row, the team had won 11 straight. All four of the Grizzlies’ losses have come on the road. The game in Minnesota is the final game of the team’s five-game road trip. Memphis is 31-17 on the 2023 season, 11-14 in away games and 15-14 against Western Conference foes.
Minnesota has started the 2023 calendar year strong. The team is 9-4 since January 1. That marks a big turnaround for the club, which finished 2022 with six consecutive losses. The Timberwolves are coming off a 111-102 win over New Orleans in an away game. Minnesota is the No. 8 team in the West. The club has a 2023 season record of 25-25 and are 18-6 at home. As for Western Conference games, the Timberwolves are 16-16.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NBA matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 NBA Finals and our tips for betting on the NBA.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves picks for January 27, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Memphis Grizzlies | -160 | -165 | -165 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +135 | +145 | +145 |
Memphis Grizzlies breakdown
The Memphis Grizzlies were the preseason pick to win the Southwest Division in 2023, but they were not the favorite to triumph in the Western Conference. Not that long ago, Memphis looked like they could finish the 2023 NBA season as the Western Conference champions. With the team’s four-game losing skid, some of the enthusiasm around the Grizzlies has died.
The 24-year-old Ja Morant leads the team in scoring (27.3) and assists (8.0) on 32.3 minutes of play per game. Outside of Morant, the Grizzlies have five players scoring double digits per game. Desmond Bane (21.6), Jaren Jackson Jr. (16.2), Dillon Brooks (15.8), Tyus Jones (10.8) and Brandon Clarke (10.4) are all scoring more than 10 points per game. Meanwhile, Santi Aldama (9.3) is very close to hitting that number on a nightly basis.
The Grizzlies will be without leading rebounder Steven Adams for three to five weeks because of a PCL sprain in his right knee. Adams was contributing 22 minutes per game and 9.3 points.
Memphis averages 114.4 points per game on the road, while they give up 116.0 points on the road.
Minnesota Timberwolves breakdown
Consistency was not the strong suit of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the early 2023 NBA season. During the 2022 calendar year, the team’s best runs were a five-game winning streak in mid-November and a run of three straight wins in mid-December. However, when the team flipped the calendar to 2023, something seemed to change for the club and they are now on a 9-4 run heading into tonight’s game.
Anthony Edwards leads the Timberwolves in scoring with 24.5 points per game on a team-high 36.5 minutes. He also is tops in the team in rebounds (1.9). The only other member of the team who has more than 20 points per game is Karl-Anthony Towns at 20.8. Rudy Gobert, who scores an average of 13.4 points per game, is the team leader in rebounds (11.6) and blocks (1.3). D’Angelo Russell, who is the third-highest scorer on the club (17.6) leads the team in assists with 6.3.
The bad news for Minnesota is that they have been without Towns since November 28 and there is no timetable for his return to action.
The Timberwolves average 117.5 points per game at home while allowing their opponents to score 115.7 points per game at Target Center.
Our pick
Tonight’s matchup between Memphis and Minnesota is the third meeting of the 2023 NBA season between these teams. Memphis won their November 11 game at Memphis by a score of 114-103. The second meeting took place on November 30 in Minnesota, the Timberwolves won that game 109-101.
With the way Memphis is struggling on the road, the best bet in this game is to pick the underdog Timberwolves to win.
Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves to beat the Memphis Grizzlies.
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