Our free NBA picks are out for Friday, April 29th, 2022! Make sure you check our expert NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the one Round 1 game on today’s schedule!
Memphis Grizzlies @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 9pm ET
The only game on tonight’s schedule will see the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves clash for Game 6 of their Round 1 series. The Grizzlies have their first chance to take the series tonight, as they have a 3-2 record over the Timberwolves after winning the game last time out, 111-109.
Jeffery Thomas
Ja Morant has made huge leaps literally and figuratively in his game this season. There’s been high-flying dunks and he added to that collection with a poster on Minnesota’s Malik Beasley in the third quarter. Morant also improved his numbers tremendously and brought home this year’s Most Improved Player award. His dominance was in full display in Game 5 and he carried his Grizzlies to a 111-109 victory to put the 2 seed on the brink of advancing to a second-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors. Ja scored the last 13 points for Memphis, including the game-winning layup.
He finished with a near triple-double, going for 30 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists, and now will have to replicate that performance on the road to avoid a Game 7. I said after Game 4 that I thought this series was going 7 games, with the home teams winning Games 5 and 6. The Grizzlies took care of business in Game 5 and now it’s the Wolves turn and I think they will get it done. They’ve shown that they can hang in this series and with their backs against the wall, I’m expecting their best performance of the series. Look for their fans to will them to victory here and set up an epic showdown on Sunday in Game 7.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (+102)
Noah Dunlap
Have the Memphis Grizzlies finally broken the spirit of this Minnesota Timberwolves team? They became the first team in NBA history to come from behind to win games twice in the same series, when trailing by double-digits entering the fourth quarter, and at some point you have to imagine that that ends up playing a role on this primarily young Wolves roster. The other concern that I have for Minnesota surrounding this Game 6 is the fact that they watched Ja Morant simply take over the game in the fourth quarter of Game 5, which could be a bad sign for the T’Wolves. Ja has struggled on the offensive side of the ball in this series, especially scoring, but we all know that he is an extremely streaky player, who draws fire and motivation from odd situations, and what we witnessed on Tuesday night could be the start of a hot run for this year’s Most Improved Player. The other key for Memphis is Desmond Bane and the fact that he’s been far and away the MVP of the series for the Grizz to this point. If Bane continues the hot play, and Ja uses his performance from Tuesday to fuel another great night on Friday, Minnesota is certainly in trouble.
On the other side, there are some things the Wolves have to like in order to increase their odds of coming back and tying this series at three games apiece. One is the performance of Anthony Edwards in this series. Apart from one night where he struggled, the Ant Man has been phenomenal throughout the entire series. He’s the biggest key for Minnesota, while Karl-Anthony Towns is also going to play a huge role, as this is a team that goes as those two guys go. If they both play well, and can at least contain the duo of Ja and Bane, I like their chances, especially with the fact that they’ve forced Jaren Jackson to be a non-factor in the series, and even a complete liability for the Grizz, if we’re being totally honest. The problem is that I think mentally they may be broken by now, following the two collapses in the past three games, so I’m going to take Memphis to win a tight one on the road in Minneapolis. It comes ugly, as most games in this series have been, but I think Ja puts up another massive performance, and the Grizz sneak away with the win, and the series.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (-120)
Tony Battalio
The Memphis Grizzlies will be looking to close out this series in this one. They are up 3-2 at the moment after a big win in Game 5. They are one of the top favorites in the National Basketball Association to bring home the title in my opinion, as long as Ja Morant stays healthy that is. They will need Morant to have another big game in this one to ice this series and put them into the second round, as they will face the Golden State Warriors in Round 2 if they win this one tonight.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have their backs against the wall as they are in a must win situation to keep their season alive. They will be counting on Karl Anthony Towns in this one to help force a Game 7, as they will need both him and Anthony Edwards to have their best performances of the season. This has been one of the most interesting series of the entire playoffs. As for the result of this game, I think this series will see a Game 7 as I’m going with the Timberwolves to win.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (+102)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
