Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves fall to Grizzlies late

The Timberwolves hung tight and led deep into the final frame before succumbing and falling on the road to the Memphis Grizzlies by a final score of 109-104.

The Wolves played very well on Friday night, even leading by five points at the end of the third quarter. but ultimately stalled offensively and gave up some key offensive rebounds to the Grizzlies’ frontline en route to a tough loss down the stretch.

The Wolves had to deal with terrible shooting nights from both Karl-Anthony Towns (4 for 15) and Ricky Rubio (o for 5), and it ultimately caught up to them. Veterans Tayshuan Prince and Andre Miller did not see the court, while Kevin Martin played for the first time in nearly a month and rookie Tyus Jones handled backup point guard duties.

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The Wolves’ offensive production was mostly spread between a streaky Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins, but there wasn’t much else to write home about when it came to Minnesota’s offense.

The Timberwolves’ bench struggled in the first half but played well late in the game, bridging the gap and even assisting in building and maintaining a slim lead heading into the late stages of the contest.

Down the stretch, however, the referees largely swallowed their whistles and the foul calls that led to a remarkable 31-for-31 shooting night from the free throw line to that point dried up, the Wolves’ offense stagnated.

After trailing by seven points with 3:41 left on the clock, the Wolves pulled to within just one point with 1:35 remaining, but an impressive tip-in by Vince Carter on the offensive glass built the lead back to three.

A rushed, off-balance three-point attempt by LaVine clanked off the rim, and a pair of free throws by Matt Barnes all but sealed the game.

Tweet of the Night

Note: the Wolves shot 11-for-26 (42.3 percent) from beyond the arc in an odd departure from their pre-All-Star break selves.

Star of the Night

Mike Conley – 25 points (10-19 FG, 2-4 3P, 3-4 FT), 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

In an odd twist, Conley dominated Rubio tonight in their head-to-head match-up, and enjoyed the minutes that he found himself matched-up against Jones.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

Andrew Wiggins – 20 points (5-10 FG, 10-10 FT), 5 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal, one turnover

Karl-Anthony Towns – 11 points (4-15 FG, 1-4 3P, 2-2 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, one steal, 3 turnovers

Zach LaVine – 22 points (8-13 FG, 4-6 3P, 2-2 FT), 2 rebounds, zero assists, one steal, 4 turnovers

Ricky Rubio – 5 points (0-5 FG, 0-3 3P, 5-5 FT), 9 assists, 2 rebounds, one block, 3 turnovers

Who’s Got Next?

The Timberwolves turn around and host the New York Knicks on Saturday night. The Knicks are coming off of an embarrassing 11-point loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, so it seems to be a game that the Wolves could manage to win.

Next: Timberwolves' Similarities to 2008-09 OKC Thunder

The Knicks are being guided by interim head coach and former Wolves’ coach Kurt Rambis, so…Minnesota has a legitimate chance to emerge with a victory. We’ll leave it at that.