Minnesota Timberwolves are loaded for Grizzlies . . . , er, . . . bear.

Bearly successful the rest of the way

By the second game, the Grizzlies’ defense would shut down Beasley’s scoring (7), hold Ant-Man to almost half of his opener scoring outburst (20), and press KAT hard all game, putting him in peril of fouling out, forcing Coach Finch to limit his play from 43 to 28 minutes.  His backup, Naz Reid, jumped from 5 to 20 minutes of play as a result. The Timberwolves lost by a score of 124-96.

In game three, the Timberwolves adjusted, emphasizing defense for Towns and boosting Jaden Mcdaniels’ playing time.  Offensively, the team routed KAT’s offense through D’Angelo Russell. The Timberwolves lost again, but this time the score was closer as they lost 104-95.

The Timberwolves returned to their game one winning formula once more in game four. Towns stayed clean as he was never in foul trouble, and the Timberwolves’ offense was once more led by their two stars, Anthony Edwards (24) and Karl-Anthony Towns (33).

Tied at two wins apiece, the Timberwolves had surged ahead by a score of 85-72 late in the third period. The Timberwolves let that lead slip but clung to a 101-98 lead at 4:25 as Patrick Beverly scored a two-pointer. It was then that a confident, if not overly cocky, Patrick Beverly began to trash talk Grizzlies star scorer, point guard Ja Morant.

Ja Morant woke up and scored the final 11 points for the Grizzlies, outscoring the entire Timberwolves team’s eight points. The Timberwolves let a huge lead and winnable game slip away, and the Timberwolves would lose that game by a score of 111-109. The Timberwolves would lose their next game by a score of 114-106 in much the same way taking a lead of 12 points late in the third period. and a three-point lead late into the final period.