The Grizzlies are growing faster.
Desmond Bane had seven 3-pointers, and Memphis scored 26 points to overcome a 26 point deficit. Memphis won 104-95 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night for a 2-1 lead.
"We found a way of getting some stops." Our offense began to click a bit more," Bane stated. "The rest is history."
The Grizzlies tied their franchise mark for the largest comeback win, falling by 26 early in quarter 2. They also lost 25 in the third quarter.
For Memphis, Brandon Clarke scored 16 points of his 20 in the second period. The game was over on a remarkable 50-16 run over the last 15:10.
Ja Morant said, "That's why our team is really the deepest in the league." He had the franchise's first-ever postseason triple-double, scoring 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He told his team that he wanted to do better.
Tyus Jones made two 3-pointers down the stretch against his old team to score 11 points for the Grizzlies. They seized home-court advantage over a stunned Wolves team who won Game 1 on the road, 130-117, and suffered a horrible 124-96 defeat in Game 2.
Game 4 will be played in Minneapolis on Saturday night.
It was not going to be easy. It doesn't have to be easy. It should be very difficult, and it was," Patrick Beverley, who scored 14 points for the Wolves, said.
The Wolves lost by 23-12 to the Wolves in the second quarter, and 37-12 to the fourth. This was a shameful waste of some great basketball played in the first and third periods.
D'Angelo Russell said, "When we get to high, it returns and it haunts" and was the driving force behind Minnesorta's third quarter surge. He had 22 points and eight assists.
Russell was 0 for 3, and scoreless in the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns was Minnesota's other max contract player. He scored eight points and took five fouls.
It's very difficult. Towns said that they had to regroup after he had walked through five blocks.
The Wolves took a lead of 47-21 early in the second half, with a loud roar from the 32-year old downtown arena providing the soundtrack. However, they were outscored 15-0 in the final 5 minutes of the quarter.
The Wolves scored only 33 points in Game 3, after the NBA's highest scoring team had made just 30 field goals in Game 2. This was a season-low. Between the second and third quarters, they went 8:34 without scoring a basket. Russell finally made a 3.
Jones was born in the Twin Cities, and was drafted the same year by the Timberwolves. Jones hit a 3-pointer that gave the Grizzlies an 86-85 lead. Memphis never trailed again.
Jones said, "You think about and dream of these moments," after he won the state championship at Target Center Apple Valley High School.
SMALL TOWNS
Towns scored just six points in the last three quarters of Game 2. Coach Chris Finch urged Towns to play a cleaner game and the former All-Star center failed again. Towns was fouled five times with 9:24 remaining and spent the majority of the fourth quarter sitting on the bench.
Finch stated, "They swarm him everywhere."
SAME ENERGY
Before Bane put the Grizzlies on board with a 3, the Wolves led 12-0. The "Defense!" chants grew louder for the third home playoff game in 18 years.
For the first fifteen minutes of the game, the home team did not do anything wrong. As evidenced by Beverley's tip in of his own miss that gave the home team a 49-28 lead halfway through the second quarter. As he drove towards the lane, he lost his balance and fell. He then flung a desperate floating basket at the basket.
Clarke stated that "we seemed kind of shaken," but it was a very long game.
HARD SHIFT
To make it a game, the Grizzlies went on a 23-4 run in the last 10:28 minutes of the second quarter. Russell was charged with 3:21 remaining on his drive and banked in layup, which would have given the Wolves an 17-point advantage. Finch's challenge was futile. The Wolves missed three 3-pointers, and one layup during the remainder of the half.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies - Kyle Anderson took over for Steven Adams who did not leave the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. had just six points and five fouls.
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in just 40 minutes. In the first two games, Russell was 5 for 22 from beyond the arc. In Game 3, he was 9 for 21.
OH, DAD
Both Towns and Morant had their fathers cheering on them from courtside seats, and this time they were right next to one another. Tee Morant watched the action through designer sunglasses and a black bucket cap. Karl Towns, who wore dark blue Timberwolves hats and a black KN95 face mask, helped to hype the arena by throwing T-shirts into the crowd during a break.
