Anthony Edwards' big second half leads Wolves past Grizzlies
It was pretty clear the Timberwolves were on the back end of a back to back from the outset of Wednesday night’s home tilt against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies opened the contest on a 14-0 run and turned back several Timberwolves attempts at mounting a run.
But a dominant third quarter from Anthony Edwards helped the Timberwolves pull ahead and eventually beat the Grizzlies 110-101 Wednesday night.
Edwards, who was listed as questionable before the game with left ankle soreness, scored 17 points in the third quarter as Minnesota turned a three-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. He also switched on to Jaren Jackson Jr., who gave the Timberwolves fits for most of the night.
"(Edwards) took the Jackson matchup and basically shut his water off," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "Did a great job, turned the game around on both ends of the floor in the third. ... His effort on defense set the tone, and then we were able to kind of catch a rhythm on offense for the first time."
Offensively, Edwards scored 25 of his 34 points after the halftime break.
Up just 100-98 with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Nickeil Alexander-Walker got to the rim for a layup, and Edwards followed up with a drive and forceful dunk and a fadeaway jumper as the Wolves pushed their lead back to eight.
That served as enough of a cushion for Minnesota over the final three minutes.
Jackson got the Grizzlies (20-39) off to a fast start and kept them in it all night. He proved a handful for the Timberwolves (42-17) as he knocked down shots from outside, battled on the offensive glass and continually got to the rim.
Jackson finished his night with 33 points and 13 rebounds.
Naz Reid put together another nice outing off the bench, drilling four shots from outside on his way to 19 points and six rebounds. Jaden McDaniels was efficient and effective, quickly knocking down a couple shots to get in the action early. He finished his night with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Final key stats
- Anthony Edwards: 34 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block
- Naz Reid: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 13 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 1 block
- Jaden McDaniels: 12 points, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 12 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks, 1 rebound
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 33 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
