Ja Morant, Grizzlies Expected To Face Stephen Curry, Warriors In 2022 Playoff Matchup

Ja Morant’s game-winning shot with one second left propelled the Memphis Grizzlies to a 111-109 Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Following the victory, Memphis is heavily favored to reach the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs for a meeting with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Neither Memphis nor Golden State has clinched its first-round series yet, but the betting odds suggest it's only a matter of time. With a chance to eliminate the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 on Wednesday, the Warriors are massive -10000 favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook to make the second round. The Grizzlies have -650 odds to advance before taking their 3-2 series lead to Minnesota in Game 6.

Golden State nearly completed a sweep of Denver. The Nuggets took the lead in the final minute of Game 4 and held off the Warriors 126-121 behind 37 points from Nikola Jokic. The win likely just staved off Denver's inevitable elimination for one more game. The Warriors outscored the Nuggets by a combined 41 points to win the first three games of the series.

The return of a healthy Curry essentially ended Denver’s chances of pulling off a series upset. Coming off a foot injury that cost him a month of games, Curry is averaging 27.5 points in 28.0 minutes per game this postseason.

Denver has +2200 odds to complete the 3-0 series comeback.

Morant is averaging 22.4 points, 10.4 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs, in addition to his highlight-reel plays. The point guard has struggled shooting the ball, hitting just 40.2% of his field goals and 70.4% of his free throws. It’s made for a tight series against the Timberwolves, who have nearly won four of the first five games.

Minnesota blew a pair of 20-point leads in a Game 3 loss. In Game 5, the Timberwolves had a 10-point lead with under seven minutes remaining in regulation.

The Timberwolves have +480 odds to win the next two games and reach the second round. Minnesota last won a first-round series 18 years ago. Morant and the Grizzlies kept Curry and the Warriors out of the 2021 playoffs by defeating Golden State in the play-in tournament.

The Warriors would be heavy favorites to beat the Grizzlies in a series. Golden State leads the league with +320 odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals. Memphis has +1000 championship odds, putting it sixth among all playoff teams.