The 2 Best Bets for Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves (April 23)

Is there anything better than 10+ hours of NBA playoff basketball on a Saturday afternoon? Our betting analysts certainly don’t think so.

Today’s wall-to-wall postseason coverage kicks off with 76ers vs. Raptors (2:00 p.m. ET), a series that could end if the Raptors fail to pick up a home win. The action heads to Utah for the wildly entertaining West Series between the Mavericks and Jazz (4:30 p.m. ET).

The star-studded matchup between the Celtics and the Nets (7:30 p.m. ET) moves to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for leg three of playoff coverage, then the night concludes with Game 4 of the Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves (10:00 p.m p.m. ET). a historic comeback from Memphis.

While each of these games is compelling on its own, our crew has focused on two matchups where they rely heavily on player props.

Below is their expert analysis and best bets for Saturday.

NBA Odds & Tips

Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz

Brandon Anderson: It feels like this series may be over.

The Jazz defend themselves against this. They are down 2-1 at this point and are playing at home for the franchise. You can’t bust out three straight playoffs like that and not see serious changes. When Utah comes home and loses both games, it feels like they’re cooked and at least one or more of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Quin Snyder are gone.

Normally this would be a kind of kitchen sink for Utah, a place to support jazz with everything at stake. I’m just not sure if this team pays much attention to it. They’ve apparently been openly feuding with each other for some time, and they must be just as sick of watching the same old movie as the rest of us.

Opponents get small, play a big stretch, drive past a nothing burger perimeter defense, catch Rudy Gobert trying to defend two guys 22ft apart at the same time, corner kick, open 3- pointer, swish. Rinse, wash, repeat.

The Mavs cracked the code in Game 2 and then repeated it in Game 3. Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans rain fire from downtown, and Jalen Brunson gets whatever he wants.

Utah’s only saving grace is that they jazzed themselves in the third quarter of Game 3, benched Gobert and tried a small ball lineup with Eric Paschall down the middle. That opened things up and helped Utah look perhaps their best offensively than they had looked in all series. Mitchell had plenty of room to attack the rim so pairing Mitchell overs with Gobert unders might be a good spot if we get that back.

But will jazz go to this no-gobert line-up soon or often enough? It doesn’t feel like it. It also didn’t look like this team would stand a remote chance defensively and if Luka Doncic passes he should tear that defense apart.

Utah can’t get its 3s. It cannot defend this team. It just feels like the Jazz have run out of answers and they’ve given Jason Kidd and the Mavs their own answer key.

If the jazz commits to playing small, maybe this will turn into a gunfight and shot variance game. But even her current score doesn’t look particularly sustainable and relies way too much on Jordan Clarkson doing things.

Nothing I’ve seen from this series deserves the respect of a six-point line. I play the cover and I play the mavs to win straight away. Once you reveal the solution key, it’s quite difficult to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz

Matt Moore: Gobert is oh-for that prop in this series. In Game 3, out of sheer desperation, Quin Snyder shrank and played against Eric Paschall. It worked, and the Jazz got back into the game by increasing their offensive production.

There’s no reason to think that the only strategy the Jazz have found to slow down the Mavericks is to abandon it in a home game you have to win. Whether Paschall or Hassan Whiteside, who is a net positive so far this series, Gobert will likely play fewer minutes.

Gobert was barely scoring and his rebounds have been declining lately. Nor is he a passerby. This line is way too steep. I like it up to 27.5.

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz

Munaf Manji: Donovan Mitchell has been one of the two consistent scorers for the Utah Jazz this series. In fact, Mitchell has averaged 32.7 points per game in the previous three games of this series, surpassing the 30 point mark in all three games.

Mitchell is also the only player in jazz to date to have averaged more than 40 minutes per game. He’s also averaged an unreal 26.7 field goal attempts that streak — Mitchell made 30 of the Jazz’s 82 shots in Game 2.

Goal scoring isn’t new to Mitchell, especially at this stage. He has scored 31 or more points in eight of his last ten playoff games. He can create his own shot from dribbling, knock down 3-pointers and is an excellent free-throw shooter.

The Jazz will need Mitchell to continue their scoring chances if they want any chance to equalize that series. And despite his low efficiency so far, he seems poised to lead the team by a wide margin on shot attempts. I will continue to take Mitchell above that 30.5 point line.

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Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Matt Moore: Wolves currently have the second most coverage in pick-and-roll in the playoffs.

This puts both players defending pick and roll on the ball handler to force the ball out of Morant’s hands. It leads to high percentage odds if they can hit the trigger and Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson can both finish the throw.

Morant has already crossed that line twice this series, including Games 2 and 3. Minnesota likely plays better offensively after that epic collapse in Game 4, but Morant will have ample opportunities to rack up double-digit assists. I like this prop to 9.5.

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Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Raheem Palmer: The Memphis Grizzlies overcame two 20-point deficits to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of their first round playoff series. While many assume the wolves are done, I’m not buying it.

Wolves were the better team for much of this series. In much of their last three games, the Grizzlies have struggled to score at half-court. They finished 23rd in half-court points per possession (93.4) ​​during the regular season, while Wolves finished 14th (97) in the same category.

In the postseason, when the game is slowing down, it’s much easier to neutralize a team that’s generating a majority of their points in transition and second chance points on offensive rebounds. While the playoff metrics don’t show it because of that 21-0 run in the fourth, the Wolves had the better starting lineup while the Grizzlies survive from their depths.

The biggest thing is that the Wolves have been able to play Steven Adams from the floor and they still dominate on the glass for much of this series. It’s quite telling that Wolves had several 20-point leads, despite Karl Anthony Towns getting into serious trouble and scoring eight points with just 3 shots out of 4. While Towns is prone to nasty problems, we just can’t expect those kinds of performances from him in the future. He’s just too good a player.

As long as Wolves can fix the minor mental flaws, they have a real shot at winning Game 4 and potentially winning this series. I’ll back them up in game 4 with the spread and moneyline and sprinkle a small amount on the wolves to come back and win the streak at +560.

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