Steven Adams has entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. 

The Memphis Grizzlies will play at the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6.

Adams hasn't been in the Memphis rotation since Game 1.

Ja Morant has been named the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player.

A three-year NBA veteran, Morant becomes the first player to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award with Memphis. The annual award, which was first presented in the 1985-86 season, is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.

Morant received 221 points (38 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Dejounte Murray finished in second place with 183 points (20 first-place votes).

Darius Garland finished in third place with 178 points (11 first-place votes). 

A first-time NBA All-Star selection this season, Morant averaged a career-high 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 33.1 minutes in 57 games.

Taylor Jenkins has been fined $15,000 for public criticism of the officiating.

Jenkins made his comments to the media following the Grizzlies’ 119-118 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on April 23 at Target Center.

The Memphis Grizzlies were not happy with how Game 4 of their first round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves was officiated. Taylor Jenkins was the first to sound off, following his team's loss that evened the series at 2-2.

“I’ve never seen a more inconsistent, arrogant officiated game,” Jenkins said. "So, I’ll take whatever hit is coming my way, protect our guys. We know we’ve gotta get better. But from the get-go, it was foul, foul, foul, foul, foul. Inconsistency. There was actually one play where a foul whistle was blown before contact was even made. It’s embarrassing.”

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant agreed with his coach.

“Terrible,” Morant said. “I don’t even foul like that.”

Dillon Brooks chimed in, as he and Morant agreed to cover any fines Jenkins receives from the NBA.

“When I was growing up, when I was in the league the first three years when I watched playoff basketball, there was barely any calls called,” Brooks said. “Let the players play and figure it out. I felt like they just wanted to run the show. They wanted their name on the TV. Their name’s all over that TV, all three of them.”

Ja Morant praised his Memphis Grizzlies' teammates after coming back from a 26-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95 in Game 3.

The Wolves lead by as much as 25 points in the third quarter.

The Grizzlies now lead the series 2-1.

Mostly playing their reserves, the Grizzlies' comeback included a 21-0 run that started in the final minute of the third. The Grizzlies would then outscore the Wolves 37-12 in the fourth quarter.

"[My teammates] deserve a lot more respect and recognition for what they do for us on the floor," said Morant, who scored 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting. "We believe we're the deepest team in the league."

Brandon Clarke lead the bench with 20 points and 8 rebounds.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins credited his team's defense, holding Karl-Anthony Towns to just 8 points.

"I thought our defensive edge was there, especially when [the Timberwolves] were throwing haymakers, hitting big-time shots...I don't think we're going to hold them to 95 points moving forward, but credit to the guys for having activity, even when your offense is significantly struggling."

Darius Garland, Ja Morant and Dejounte Murray have been announced as the finalists for the 21-22 NBA Most Improved Player.

All three players made the All-Star team in 2022 for the first time in their career.

Garland averaged 21.7 points and 8.6 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Morant averaged 27.4 points and 6.7 assists while leading the Memphis Grizzlies to the second best record in the Western Conference.

Murray averaged 21.1 points and 9.2 assists for the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2-7 matchup in the Western Conference will pit a handful of the league’s brightest young stars against one another. Memphis’ Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson and Desmond Bane take center stage against the Minnesota core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for both groups, which selected in the top-2 in the 2019 (Grizzlies, 2nd, Morant) and 2020 (Timberwolves, 1st, Edwards) NBA Drafts. The pace will be quick, offense will come in bunches and we’ll see plenty of action above the rim in this one.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Odds

Odds via DraftKings and accurate as of publication.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Betting Tips

The Grizzlies aren’t just a feel-good story: As the Grizzlies moved to 19-11, then 30-14, and then 41-18, it became clear that they weren’t just stringing together impressive stretches: They were legitimate contenders. So don’t worry about their ages, or the fact that the roster has minimal playoff experience. They’re one of two teams (the favorite Suns being the other) with a top-6 offensive and defensive efficiency, they were a league-best 52-29-1 ATS (including 31-18 as a favorite) and they have a legitimate superstar in Morant. They’re just seventh best in title odds on betting apps—don’t let that fool you.

Ready for points? Oddsmakers at betting sites will certainly take this into account, but both these teams can score in serious bunches. And they do it fast. The Timberwolves averaged the fastest pace in the NBA this season (101.5) and the Grizzlies were fourth (100.5). But they’re also efficient. Even on a per-100 possession basis, Memphis was fourth in offense and Minnesota was seventh. The defenses aren’t bad—especially the Grizzlies’—but we could see some real track meets between these two squads. There are young legs and energetic mindsets on the big stage for the first time. The scoreboard could be lit up in this series.

Meet Anthony Edwards: First overall picks really don’t fly under the radar, but the Timberwolves haven’t had many nationally televised games the past two seasons. It’s likely you haven’t seen much of Edwards outside of a few ridiculous poster dunks. But the kid’s for real. In an 11-game stretch to close out the regular season, he averaged 24.4 points on 49/43/84 shooting. He then carried the Timberwolves to victory in the Play-In Tournament after Towns fouled out. He has steep competition going up against the Grizzlies’ defense, but he had 23, 27 and 30 points against them in the regular season. This could very well be Edwards’ true coming-out party.

Timberwolves vs Grizzles Series Prediction

The Grizzlies are the play here for NBA betting fans. They have been consistent even with Morant missing 25 games, so they’re not as susceptible when their star point guard sits. The defense is legitimate and the offense can score as fast as any team in the league. Minnesota is a legitimate contender (it won 46 games) but the Grizzlies’ balanced attack will prove too much. We like the Grizzlies in six games, with Minnesota’s combo of Towns and Edwards winning the Timberwolves two games.

Our Pick: Take the Grizzlies in 6 at +360

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies schedule

Game 1: April 16, Minnesota at Memphis, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 2: April 19, Minnesota at Memphis, TBD, TBD

Game 3: April 21, Memphis at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 4: April 23, Memphis at Minnesota, TBD, ESPN

Game 5-7: TBD if necessary

The Memphis Grizzlies have upgraded Ja Morant to available to play in Saturday night's penultimate game of the regular season. Morant has been out since March 18 with a sprained knee.

The All-Star point guard was originally injured on February 24. Morant continued to play for the next three weeks before the pain became too severe, and he had to be shut down.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said earlier in the week that he hoped to have Morant available to play in one of the team's final two games before the playoffs. Memphis closes with back-to-back home games against the New Orleans Pelicans and the Boston Celtics on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Memphis Grizzlies have nothing left to play for in their final two regular season games. Memphis is locked in as the 2-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. But that doesn't mean there might not be some excitement on the court, as Ja Morant could make his long-awaited return.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins confirmed that Morant has been looking good as he's ramped up his activity.

"He's doing great," Jenkins said. "All signs are in a really good direction, but he's definitely getting close."

Morant has looked good enough, that Memphis would like to see him play at least one of the final two regular season games before the postseason starts.

"He did 5-on-5 for the first time today, so that's really encouraging," Jenkins said. "[He] responded well afterward, we'll see how he responds [Friday] obviously, as we go into this back-to-back back home."