29 February 2024
Minnesota did not play particularly well against the Memphis Grizzlies for large stretches Wednesday at Target Center.
Playing on the second half of a back-to-back, the Timberwolves were lethargic on both ends of the floor. But a surge midway through the third quarter proved to be enough, as a string of stops leading to transition buckets on the other end lifted the Wolves to a 110-101 victory.
Anthony Edwards led the revival. A bystander for much of the first half, the 22-year-old was seemingly energized when he was switched onto Grizzlies star big Jaren Jackson Jr. on the defensive end.
The challenge of guarding Memphis’ best remaining player — Memphis (20-39) is sans Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart in a lost season — lit a fire under Edwards, who was suddenly far more active on both ends of the floor. He matched Jackson’s physicality on the defensive end and started to attack the rim on offense via transition opportunities and cuts that exposed Memphis’ hyper-aggressive off-ball defense.
Edwards scored 17 of his 34 points in that third frame as Minnesota turned an 11-point deficit into a 3-point advantage heading into the final frame.
Minnesota (42-17) didn’t exactly pull away from Memphis in the fourth. The Wolves and the undermanned Grizzlies essentially went back and forth with buckets throughout most of the final frame.
Jackson’s miss on an open three-ball with 1 minute, 20 seconds to play essentially signaled Memphis’ official concession, as the Grizzlies — who’ve now lost 12 of their last 14 games — made no effort to get back on defense and Edwards waltzed down the floor before feeding Jaden McDaniels for a jam to put Minnesota up nine.
Jackson finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, while Naz Reid added 19 points for the Wolves.
Briefly
Kyle Anderson missed the game with a hamstring injury suffered Tuesday against San Antonio. There is no immediate timetable for his return.