Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves beat Grizzlies, 106-101

The Timberwolves once again blew a large lead but this time held on to win a close game down the stretch, 106-101 over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Wolves led by as many at 16 points late in the first half and 11 at halftime before allowing the visiting Grizzlies to tie the contest with 2:01 remaining on the clock.

But other than one more tie coming at the 1:28 mark, the Wolves rode Ricky Rubio’s aggressiveness to a big win on Saturday night. The Timberwolves’ point guard baited Mike Conley into a tough blocking call and made one of two free throws before drawing a shooting foul on the next possession to stretch Minnesota’s lead to three points.

He then forced Conley into a tough layup that missed, and Wiggins knocked down a pair of free throws with less than six seconds on the clock to seal the win.

And while it wasn’t a particularly well-played victory, it was exactly the type of game that fans needed to see out of a young squad that has struggled mightily to close games of late.

More from Dunking with Wolves

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

Rubio had seven assists by midway through the second quarter, and while Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony had solid games, neither was as dominate as they had been in games earlier in the week. Instead, Shabazz Muhammad carried the scoring load, dropping 25 points on 15 shots in 32 minutes off the bench.

Rubio bothered a hobbled Conley into a 2 for 9 shooting night in just 24 minutes, and the Wolves did a good enough job on Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol on the interior to give themselves a nice lead for much of the game.

A five-point win over a playoff team is nice, especially with games against Cleveland and Oklahoma City on the horizon.

Tweet of the Night

Star of the Night

Ricky Rubio – 15 points (2-7 FG, 0-3 3P, 11-13 FT), 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, one turnover

Rubio had one of his better games in recent memory, despite missing a few open three-point attempts. He drew fouls consistently with a decisive first step and the desire to get to the rim and score.

He was everywhere defensively, making Mike Conley and Mario Chalmers’ lives miserable. He also grabbed five boards in the first half and started the fast break down the floor whenever he had an opportunity.

Other Notable Timberwolves Lines

Karl-Anthony Towns – 14 points (6-6 FG, 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal, one block, 2 turnovers

Shabazz Muhammad – 25 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3P, 8-8 FT), 3 rebounds, one turnover

Andrew Wiggins – 19 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3P, 5-5 FT), 5 rebounds, one assist, one block, one turnover

Wiggins was extremely efficient on Saturday night. The offense didn’t consistently run through either he (just 10 field goal attempts) or Towns (only six attempts from the field), but Muhammad and Rubio’s aggressiveness set the pace for the home team.

Who’s Got Next?

The Timberwolves head to Cleveland to begin a stretch of five games out of six on the road. Monday night’s game will tip-off at 6:00 p.m. Central Time and be broadcast on NBATV.

Next: Is David Blatt a Coaching Possibility for Timberwolves?

The Cavs are coming off of a rough 96-83 home loss at the hands of the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night in rookie head coach Tyronne Lue’s debut. They’ll likely be looking to come out and crush a much weaker opponent after letting down the new boss on Saturday, so this could be tough sledding for Sam Mitchell’s crew come Monday.