The Minnesota Timberwolves look to complete a perfect NBA Summer League season when they play the Memphis Grizzlies in the championship game Monday night. It's a 9 p.m. ET tipoff from the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Timberwolves improved to 6-0 with an 85-77 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Sunday's semifinals, as second-year pro Naz Reid scored 20 points. Minnesota leads the 2019 NBA Summer League with a plus-13.3 point differential. The Grizzlies (5-1) edged the New Orleans Pelicans 88-86 in overtime to advance, relying on 23 points and 14 rebounds from No. 21 overall pick Brandon Clarke. Sportsbooks list Minnesota as a 3-point favorite in the latest Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves odds, with the over-under for total points set at 171. Before you make any 2019 NBA Summer League picks or predictions for Monday's final, see what SportsLine NBA expert Larry Hartstein has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. Over the past two seasons, Hartstein is a combined 56-41 in the NBA playoffs.
Now, Hartstein has dialed in on Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves. We can tell he's leaning under, but his much stronger pick is against the spread. He's only sharing it over at SportsLine.
Hartstein knows the T-Wolves are deep and balanced, and feature six players averaging double-figures in scoring. Reid (12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg), Kelan Martin (11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Mitchell Creek (10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) all are shooting 50 percent or better. The team doesn't seem to miss the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Jarrett Culver, who was held out of Summer League 2019 because the Timberwolves didn't want to rush him into action a few days after he signed.
The Timberwolves are holding opponents to 79.7 points per game, third-fewest among 32 teams.
But just because Minnesota is undefeated doesn't mean the Timberwolves will cover the spread in the 2019 NBA Summer League final.
Memphis has a budding star in Brandon Clarke, a 6-8 forward out of Gonzaga who went 21st in the draft. In the Grizzlies' quarterfinal and semifinal wins, Clarke poured in 41 points and collected 26 rebounds. His dunk with 10.7 seconds left in overtime against New Orleans put Memphis ahead for good. Like the Timberwolves, Memphis doesn't seem to miss its top draft pick, Ja Morant, who's recovering from knee surgery.
The Grizzlies also have played solid defense, limiting opponents to 84.3 points, which includes an overtime game.
Hartstein has identified a critical X-factor that he knows will decide the outcome. You can only see it at SportsLine.
Who wins the Summer League championship? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves spread you should be all over on Monday, all from the seasoned handicapper who keeps crushing the NBA Playoffs.
