MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns roared back from two tough games with a career-best 33 points and 14 rebounds in the playoffs, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves recover from their Game 3 meltdown and a 119-118 win over the on Saturday Memphis Grizzlies to win the first round series with 2:2.
Anthony Edwards scored 24 points and backup Jordan McLaughlin went 4-4 from 3-point range to 16 points as the Timberwolves relentlessly attacked the basket, going 31-40 from the foul line.
The series is moving back to Memphis for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Desmond Bane, who hit his eighth 3-pointer on the buzzer to finish with 34 points, and Dillon Brooks with 24 points ensured the Grizzlies enjoyed another quiet night for star point guard Ja Morant. Morant went 4 for 13 off the floor and had 11 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.
Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled by seven points, and 25 of the Grizzlies’ 33 fouls were credited as their starters.
Towns, who made four shots in Game 3 and had just eight points, hit 14 of 17 free throws and was the catalyst all the stretch with 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Beverley missed two free throws with 43 seconds remaining. With Wolves leading 115-110, Morant responded with a layup and Edwards missed a pull-up 3. But Tyus Jones missed his 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds left and Edwards grabbed the rebound. He sunk both free throws as the crowd chanted, “Wolves in six! wolves in six!”
McLaughlin’s first 3 put Minnesota ahead in the second quarter to start a 17-1 run that maxed out with a 50-35 lead — the biggest of the night that was quickly reduced back to single digits by the Grizzles .
Wolves might have been better off playing a closer game this time after their two 25-point advantages in Game 3 went to waste.
REINFORCED
Game 3 was an anomaly considering the Timberwolves became only the ninth NBA team in 389 situations in the last 25 postseasons to lead by more than 25 points and lose the game. according to ESPN.
And while it fits squarely into the Minnesota sports scene, which has been filled with such disappointments for decades, Saturday’s crowd didn’t stop giving themselves a roaring advantage.
Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak, standouts of the last Timberwolves team to captivate the city in 2004, stood on the sidelines with an endless supply of high-fives for the fans seated nearby.
A jet-like roar ensued when Towns threw a 3 from above the button on first possession.
Knowing how critical the game was, Towns came out with a ferocity that suggested he knew exactly how much criticism he’d received for his Game 3 dud. When he hit his opening 3, he looked at his hands and didn’t yell at anyone about the importance of passing the ball to him.
bumps and bruises
Bodies fell with nearly every ball possession in what was perhaps the most physical game of the series. Morant, who has been playing through nagging leg injuries, landed hard several times after layup attempts.
Grizzlies backup Ziaire Williams suffered an eye injury in the second quarter when Morant D’Angelo committed a flagrant foul on Russell as he drove to the basket and slammed a hand to his face.
Edwards went for a while in the first quarter with a right knee injury unrelated to contact, but after struggling to get to the locker room for further evaluation, he returned less than 3 minutes later with no problems.
PROTEST, INTERRUPTED
Two other animal rights activists tried to interrupt the game in the third quarter. A woman jumped over the court squares by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and his wife Becky before being attacked and carried away by security forces. Her companion stayed behind the Taylors and alongside the second row was the Timberwolves’ assistant coach, who helped safety wrestle her out.
The group has protested the way a chicken farm, which is part of Taylor’s company, allegedly managed an outbreak of bird flu. The highly contagious virus has killed about 28 million poultry.
TIP INS
Grizzlies: Xavier Tillman started at center, the fourth player in the series for the Grizzlies in a first-half lineup to join Jaren Jackson Jr. on the frontcourt while coach Taylor Jenkins continued to use a variety of methods to try to get Towns out of the field to get his element. Brandon Clarke, Kyle Anderson and Steven Adams have all taken turns. … Brooks, who was ruled questionable to play with a sore left foot, shot 10 for 20.
Timberwolves: Beverly had 17 points. … Jarred Vanderbilt had 12 points and eight rebounds.
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