Memphis Grizzlies Snap Two-Game Skid, Top Timberwolves

Feb 28, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett (21) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies earned a much-needed victory as they took down the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves do not have an impressive record (13-45–the Western Conference’s worst), they do have an extremely bright future due to their rookies and other young players.

The Grizzlies, despite dominating the vast majority of the league this season, always seem to find a way to make each and every game a close contest. It has been no different for Memphis against the young Wolves in 2014-15 and tonight was no exception.

The game was tight through the first quarter. Memphis found themselves down after the first quarter by six to the T-Wolves at 18-24.

At that point, Grizzlies fans were thinking this had better change for the better quickly; otherwise, Memphis would be in for a very long night. They came into this meeting owning a dreadful two-game losing streak. Dropping two games is not the end of the world, but considering Memphis only lost 14 games through the NBA All-Star break, back-to-back losses is enough to increase anxiety levels.

Feb 28, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) works for position against Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng (5) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. The Grizzlies win 101-97. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Through the remainder of the first half, the two teams kept hitting each other pound for pound. The two teams have strong guard play while being able to force offense through their frontcourt.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ All-Star center, Marc Gasol, showed up in the spotlight tonight. He was clearly the best player on the floor. He allowed Memphis to stay in the game when getting down early, to building a halftime lead at 48-46.

Shortly after halftime, Gasol would lead his Grizzlies to a 12-point advantage. Memphis would not be able to hold onto a large lead because Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio were clicking on offense–plus the Timberwolves’ bench contributors came to play.

By the beginning of the third quarter, the Grizzlies’ lead had been cut to two points at 72-70.

In the final quarter, fans would be able to tell by looking at the scoreboard at the end of the game that not a lot of defense was played by either team. Minnesota would score 27 more points while the Grizzlies put up 29 of their own.

Feb 6, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jeff Green (32) looks to pass guarded by Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) in the second half at Target Center. The Wolves win 90-89 over the Grizzlies. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

Memphis had to go through Marc Gasol to seal the victory. Even though Minnesota has a poor record, their squad fights each and every night regardless of their opponent. The T-Wolves look to be an incredibly scary team soon–perhaps two to three seasons from now.

The Wolves’ Andrew Wiggins recorded 25 points while four of his teammates scored a minimum of 13 points each.

Memphis was led by Marc Gasol’s double-double–27 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.

The Grizzlies overcame turnover issues by owning the rebound battle and by shooting an eyebrow-raising 59.4% from the field.

The Memphis Grizzlies finished the toe-to-toe matchup winning by a final score of 101-97.

The box score, produced by ESPN.com, can be found here.

Key Game Notes

The Wolves’ newly re-acquired power forward, Kevin Garnett, was ejected after receiving his second technical foul call of the night.
Memphis had two technical fouls called on them (Gasol, Coach Joerger) and Minnesota received three (Garnett twice and Coach Saunders).
The Grizzlies shot 59.4% from the field while Minnesota made a weaker 38.6% of their attempts.
The Grizz committed 24 turnovers compared to the Wolves’ 12.
Memphis swatted away seven of Minnesota’s shots while the Timberwolves recorded just one swat.
The Timberwolves’ bench (39) outscored Memphis’ (32).
The Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol was extremely efficient while leading his team tonight, making 11 of 14 shot attempts from the field.
Memphis’ Nick Calathes has been displaying exceptional defense and tonight was no different–registering two steals in just over 12 minutes of play.
The Timberwolves’ Nikola Pekovic had a terrible outing against Marc Gasol, going 0/5 from the field and recording just one point and four rebounds versus Memphis.
The Memphis Grizzlies controlled the battle on the boards by outrebounding Minnesota 43 to 35.

Fantasy Watch: Grizzlies Edition

Marc Gasol: 27 points on 11/14 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, six turnovers
Zach Randolph: seven points on 3/7 shooting, 11 rebounds, one block, seven turnovers
Mike Conley: 17 points on 5/13 shooting, two rebounds, four assists, two steals
Jeff Green: 13 points on 3/5 shooting, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks

Next Game

The Memphis Grizzlies will hit the floor again on Tuesday when they face the Utah Jazz in Memphis, Tennessee. They will be looking to improve to 43-16 on the season.

Go Grizz!

More from Beale Street Bears

Home/Grizzlies News