1. Minnesota’s defense was key: The Timberwolves have used defense as their calling card in recent seasons, and this year was no different. They enter Saturday with the sixth-ranked defense.109.3) in the NBA, and they’ve been even more annoying during their current winning streak. Over this three-game stretch, Minnesota has the second-best defense (102.5), and they rank first in opponent field goal percentage (38.9) and points allowed (97.3).

2. Anthony Edwards in his pocket: Edwards has been on top of his game in his last four games, giving Wolves a 3-1 record. Ant dropped a career-high 53 points (16-31 FG, 10-15 3PT, 11-12 FT) in the one loss and posted 30 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.7 in 37 minutes over the three games Steals wins. He has been solid from distance, shooting 54% (27 of 50) from 3-point range during that span and 42.7% this season. Be 25.7 Points per game ranks eighth in the league.

3. Donte DiVincenzo finds his groove: DiVincenzo moved into the Wolves starting lineup instead of Mike Conley in the last three games, resulting in a 3-0 record for Minnesota. The seventh-year guard posted 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.7 steals in 28.1 minutes startercompleting over 39% of his 7.7 3-point attempts per game.

4. Freshmen making an impact in Memphis: The Grizzlies have received major contributions from their first-year players Jaylen Wells And Zach Edeyboth of which are in our top 5 Kia rookie ladder for 2024-25. Wells has played in every game for the Grizz this season and ranked third in points per game (11.6) among all rookies while shooting over 37% on three-point shots. Edey has missed some time, but he is sixth in scoring (10.3 ppg), second in rebounds (7.5) and is tied for second with four double-doubles as a rookie.

5. The Grizzlies’ bench was dominant: Memphis is getting a boost from its bench as they lead the league in scoring (47.1 pages), assists (13.6), minutes played (21.6) and 3-point accuracy (40.9%), giving them the third-best net rating (3.6) in the NBA. Santi Aldama He led his reserves by averaging 13 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists while knocking down nearly 39% of his three-point attempts, all career highs.