NBA Playoff Preview: Timberwolves Set For Grind-Out Matchup With Grizzlies

KEY POINTS

The Minnesota Timberwolves get to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round
Karl-Anthony Towns will have no excuses this time around with his new co-stars in tow
Ja Morant and his supporting cast have netted the franchise's highest playoff seed in history

The Minnesota Timberwolves successfully secured their first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 season and are now primed to face the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

During their play-in matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Timberwolves barely scraped by with a 109-104 victory behind the combined 59 points (8-of-16 from three) of D’Angelo Russell and sophomore star Anthony Edwards.

Karl-Anthony Towns put up arguably his worst performance of the season with 11 points on 3-of-11 field goal shooting, five rebounds, three steals, and two steals before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

Against the Grizzlies, Towns simply cannot afford to put up another performance like that as how he performs in this upcoming series will certainly have implications on how people will view him moving forward.

Directly after their victory over the Clippers, the Timberwolves celebrated like no tomorrow as the franchise has its first taste of success in a very long time.

However, the Grizzlies have shown that they are going to be unfazed in the face of any team after having a solid season of their own.

The Ja Morant-led franchise got a massive boost following the eye-opening emergence of sophomore guard Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. managing to stay healthy for the first time in four seasons.

Both Bane and Jackson have been crucial contributors to the success of the Grizzlies, leading up to their highest seed in franchise history.

Factoring in the production off the bench from guys like Kyle Anderson, Tyus Jones, Brandon Clarke and De’Anthony Melton, it is no surprise that Memphis has been as great as they are.

Both squads are as hungry as ever in proving their playoff readiness over the other in this clash of young talent mixed with veteran presences in Patrick Beverly for the Timberwolves and Steven Adams for the Grizzlies.

Towns, amongst all the players in this series, has the most to gain in this series by proving that his weak showing against the Clippers was a fluke while also helping shoulder the load on his co-stars.

The Grizzlies welcome the Timberwolves to the FedEx Forum for Game 1 on Saturday, April 16 at 3:30 PM ET.