Timberwolves at Grizzlies: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies (+3, 196.5)
The Memphis Grizzlies attempt to stretch their winning streak against Minnesota to an even dozen when they host the Timberwolves on Sunday. The Timberwolves haven’t defeated the Grizzlies since the middle of the 2009-10 campaign and have also lost eight consecutive visits to Memphis. Minnesota will be hoping for another huge outing from Kevin Love, who poured in a season-high 42 points and made 8-of-9 3-pointers in Friday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Both teams are among the five teams with a losing record in the tough Western Conference. The Timberwolves can get back to the .500 mark with a victory over the Grizzlies, while Memphis is a disappointing two games below the break-even point. The Grizzlies have been hurt by the loss of center Marc Gasol to a knee injury but also haven’t had the same on-court chemistry they enjoyed under former coach Lionel Hollins while losing seven of their last 10 games.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (11-12): Love was on fire against San Antonio and scored 19 points in the third quarter alone when he made five 3-pointers. He was highly dejected afterward that the performance wasn’t enough to slay the Spurs. “There are certain nights when you just feel it,” Love said. “I was just hoping it’d be for a win. That was a little disheartening, but they’ve got a few Hall of Famers on their team and a Hall of Fame coach. … If we play like that, we’re going to beat a lot of teams.”
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (10-12): Third-year forward Jon Leuer has gained more playing time with Gasol and Quincy Pondexter (foot) sidelined and is taking advantage of the opportunity. Leuer scored 19 points in Friday’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans and is averaging 16.8 points and eight rebounds over the past four games. Leuer went through an eight-game stretch in November in which he was called on just once – for three minutes – but a breakout 23-point game against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 3 earned him more time and now he’s a key member of the rotation.
TRENDS:
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Memphis.
* Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Timberwolves are 2-9 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Grizzlies are 8-1 ATS in their last nine vs. NBA Northwest.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Memphis swept last season’s three meetings by an average of 15 points.
2. Timberwolves G Kevin Martin is averaging 9.5 points on 5-of-21 shooting over the last two games.
3. The Grizzlies have lost seven of their last nine home games and are just 5-8 overall.