Wolves blow 13-point lead as Ja Morant delivers winner in Game 5
Ja Morant hit a game-winning layup with one second remaining to lead the Memphis Grizzlies over the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 on Tuesday night and give them a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series.
Minnesota blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, though Anthony Edwards drilled a game-tying 3-pointer to make it 109-109 with 3.7 seconds to play, leading to Morant's game-winning bucket.
The dramatic loss puts Minnesota in a must-win situation in Game 7 Friday night in Minneapolis. Win and Game 7 will head back to Memphis on Sunday. Lose and the season is over.
Memphis looked ready from the opening tip, starting the game with a 13-2 run. After Karl-Anthony Towns picked up a pair of quick fouls, it looked like the Timberwolves were in for a long night. Minnesota weathered the storm, however, and used a 17-4 run to take the lead.
The Timberwolves led for most of the first half thanks to some hot shooting and tremendous defense. Although the Grizzlies were able to get to the rim, they had trouble finishing, shooting just 41.5 percent from the floor and 25 percent on 3-pointers.
While Memphis struggled, Minnesota shot 8-for-20 on 3-pointers in the first half to go into halftime with a 55-53 lead.
Minnesota continued to assert itself in the third quarter, building a 13-point lead. Just as it appeared that the Timberwolves had the momentum, Morant delivered a thunderous slam over Malik Beasley at the end of the quarter to energize the Memphis crowd.
The Timberwolves were able to stay in front by double digits and regained their 13-point lead on a 3-pointer from Towns with 9:38 left in the game. Minnesota held a 99-88 lead with 6:58 to go but the Grizzlies made their move with a 10-0 run to make it a one-point game.
Both teams went back and forth down the stretch before Towns hit a 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves a 106-102 lead with 1:46 left. After Morant added a pair of free throws, he nailed a cold-blooded 3-pointer to put Memphis on top with 1:03 to go.
The Grizzlies held onto a 109-106 lead with 8.2 seconds remaining when Edwards hit a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game.
The tying bucket helped Edwards finish with 22 points on the night but Morant drove to the rim again, connecting on the game-winning lay-up with one second on the clock to send the Timberwolves to the brink of elimination.
Memphis killed the Wolves on the offensive glass, grabbing 18 of their own misses, including the missed shot that Brandon Clarke tapped out to Morant for the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Morant finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists. Clarke added 21 points and 15 rebounds, 9 of which were offensive boards. Desmond Bane scored 25.
Towns led Minnesota with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but he also had 7 of Minnesota's 22 turnovers.
