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The Grizzlies fell to the Timnberwolves 116-80 as the Wolves seemed to run them right off the court. The good news was that Tony Allen returned tonight, and he played 19 minutes. The bad news was that Coach Fizdale elected to rest Marc Gasol and Mike Conley on the front end of a back to back and the middle of 4 games in 5 nights. The starting lineup he fielded included Wade Baldwin, Troy Williams, JaMychal Green, Jarell Martin, and James Ennis. There was hope that the Grizzlies could get an edge, however unlikely, in this battle of the young ones.
However, the Wolves ran full throttle past the Grizzlies from the jump, shooting 55% in the first quarter. Minnesota put together a 15-2 run through the end of the first, and led 29-16 at the end of one.
The Grizzlies tried to shoot down the lead and trimmed it to 8, as Vince Carter buried a couple of triples. However the Wolves held off the rally and went for one of their own, taking the lead up to 20 and leading to a lopsided 62-36 halftime lead for the Timberwolves
The third quarter was more of the same as Zach LaVine led the way. The Grizzlies put together a 13-0 run through the end of the third, but the Timberwolves still led 97-59 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter mercifully ended with the Timberwolves prevailing 116-80. This was the Timberwolves’ first win of the season. In addition, throughout the game the Minnesota broadcasters were absolutely thrilled that the Grizzlies “got what they deserved” for fielding such a starting lineup on purpose. Ultimately shooting 37% from the field and 16% from three did the Grizzlies in.
Grizzly Stat Lines:
Deyonta Davis: 17 PTS/6 REBS/7-8 FGM/FGA
Troy Williams: 14 PTS/2 REBS/1 AST
Andrew Harrison 12 PTS/2 REBS/5 ASTS
Jarell Martin: 7 PTS/3 REBS
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It was a rough going for the good guys. No one shot the ball particularly well, and it was a game that seemed largely out of reach well before halftime. Zach Randolph made an appearance, but only for 10 minutes, and only in the first half. He finished with 2 points and 2 rebounds after killing the Timberwolves in their last game. As mentioned earlier, the Grindfather Tony Allen played tonight, and he totaled 4 points, 4 boards, and a steal in his 19 minutes of action.
Timber wolf Stat Lines:
Zach Lavine: 31 PTS/4 REBS/2 ASTS
Andrew Wiggins: 17 PTS/3 REBS/4 ASTS
Gorgui Dieng: 17 PTS/6 REBS/2 ASTS
Karl Anthony-Towns: 11 PTS/10 REBS/4 ASTS
Kris Dunn: 10 PTS/4 REBS/6 ASTS
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The Timberwolves shot a blistering 55% from the field and a whopping 60% from three in the win tonight. They also received strong contributions off the bench from Brandon Rush (9 points, 2 three pointers.) and Shabazz Muhammad (8 points, 4 rebounds and an assist) It was all too much for the Grizzlies to overcome tonight.
The good news is that tomorrow (or today when you read this) the Grizzlies can put this one behind them as they go on to play the Pelicans. Until next time Grizz fans, keep grinding.