The Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves enter Game 5 of their first-round playoff series tied at 2-2.
Momentum seems to be in Minnesota’s favor, despite the game being played in Memphis. There’s no avoid it: the Grizzlies have not played well at all during the entire series.
That’s both good and bad: the team has won two games despite such poor play and they’ve lost two games to the seventh seed in the West.
The officiating has been horrific in this series, but they are not the sole reason Memphis has lost two games out of four.
- Ja Morant has not been himself
- Jaren Jackson Jr. has been in a career-worst slump
- The Grizzlies don’t have a player to counter All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns
- The three-point shooting woes (as a team) continue.
- Dillon Brooks is not the same defender he was during last year’s playoff matchup against Utah.
- Steven Adams and De’Anthony Melton have been non-factors, despite being hugely important to the team’s regular-season success.
There have been a few bright spots and Desmond Bane is one of them. Tyus Jones and Brandon Clarke have been excellent off the bench.
The bad far outweighs the good in this series so far. So the fact that the Grizzlies are still in this is pretty surprising, actually. But, there are more concerns heading into a pivotal Game 5. Let’s dive in to those concerns.
No. 1: Are the Memphis Grizzlies concerned about injury status of Ja Morant?
Morant has not been his usual explosive self in this series, he even acknowledged it in his comments made after the Game 4 loss in Minnesota.
“I’m not Ja…I’m not playing above the rim,” he said after the game.
Fans had been speculating for a few days that he was playing hurt, which is a dangerous thing to do for such a young talent like Morant.
Why sacrifice long-term injury in a first-round series matchup? What’s the risk/reward for playing Morant if you’re risking permanent or long-term damage to one of the best players in the entire league?
Morant has still found ways to be impactful on the court, despite not being able to score in the paint or get to the free-throw line regularly. He recorded a triple-double in Game 3. He was one one rebound shy of the feat in Game 2 and 2 rebounds shy in Game 3.
Morant has taken some punishing fouls and falls in this series. They will only get worse in Games 5, 6 and 7. Every time Morant hits the floor, Grizzlies fans hold their collective breath as he slowly gets back on to his feet.
Ja is tough-as-nails, but Jenkins has to protect him if he continues to get punished in the paint.
No. 2: Will refs call a fair Memphis Grizzlies vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game 5?
The rate in which the referees have been calling fouls in this series has been atrocious. Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian pointed out the league average for fouls called in a game this season was 39.3. Through four games in this series, the referees are calling an average of 52.5.
In Game 4 alone, Minnesota got to the free-throw line 40 times. Memphis was at the stripe just 25 times.
The egregious nature in which the officials have been calling this series reached a boiling point after Game 4. Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins ripped the referees to shreds in his post-game comments.
It resulted in him being fined $15,000 by the league a couple of days later. Will the scolding pay off in Game 5?
That’s the hope for Grizzlies fans; but, there are of course, no guarantees. It certainly didn’t hurt for him to make those comments. Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant were also critical of the officiating in their post-game comments as well.
No. 3: Can the Memphis Grizzlies depend on Jaren Jackson Jr. in Game 5?
There have been fewer disappointments for the Grizzlies in the playoffs than Jaren Jackson Jr. He’s frequently been called the second-best player on this team, but in this series, he hasn’t been playing good enough to be considered in the top eight.
His offensive rating is 92.3 in the first round, which places him No. 8 out of 10 players on the team who have played enough possessions to qualify.
Back-up forward Brandon Clarke has outplayed Jaren Jackson in nearly every way in this series. Clarke leads the team in offensive rating with 149.3.
Jackson is the league-leader in blocks per game, but he’s stuck in habitual foul trouble. He has yet to play more than 27 minutes in a game in the playoffs this season.
Fans shouldn’t expect things to change unless Jackson can gamble less, the referees stop calling as many fouls or Jackson suddenly finds his three-point stroke. He’s currently 6 of 19 from beyond the arc in this series, trailing Desmond Bane (19 3FGM), Dillon Brooks (7 3FGM), and Tyus Jones (7 3FGM).
No. 4: Can the Memphis Grizzlies withstand another big night from KAT?
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns had perhaps his best game of the entire series in Game 4: 33 PTS, 14 REB, and 3 AST. He took a near-career high 17 free throw attempts in the last game and was 3 for 5 from deep.
Towns has been able to have his way on offense because the Grizzlies do not have a player that can keep up with his quick first step or his power.
Jackson is the closest matchup, but Towns has been able to get dupe him into a constant state of foul trouble. Brandon Clarke has done a decent job, but he’s giving up 3 inches and about 30 pounds to Towns.
Xavier Tillman has shown some flashes that he can hang with Towns, but he is also undersized. And his offensive game is nowhere near the level of Clarke.
Usual starter Steven Adams has been a non-factor in the series and has effectively been benched for the series, save for an emergency.
Memphis is just going to have to guard KAT by committee and see if they can slow him down, especially if Jackson remains a non-factor.
No. 5: What happens if the Memphis Grizzlies lose Game 5?
If the Grizzlies lose again at home on April 26 vs the Timberwolves, they will fall behind in the series 2-3.
If the team falls behind, you have to start wondering about the team’s mindset and their confidence level. Will they be able to shake off a loss at home and win a game with the season on the line?
Game 6 will be played at The Target Center in Minnesota. If the Timberwolves have a chance to win the series on their home court, it would be a doomsday scenario for Memphis.
An electric Minnesota crowd and a confident team with through-the-roof adrenaline and energy would create a perfect storm of chaos for Memphis.
And, with the way the team has been playing, would likely result in a less-than favorable outcome for the Grizzlies.
Fortunately, there’s a way to avoid all of that doomsday talk and that’s to win Game 5 and take a 3-2 series lead.
This Game 5 at home, inside FedEx Forum, is a must-win game for the Grizzlies.