When the Grizzlies go through a mouse hole on the wolf floor! Incredible turnaround last night in Minneapolis, where Wolves completely burst out at the end as they looked set to take their second win in the series. On arrival, it was Memphis who came away with the win after a fourth quarter that looked like an apocalypse for Minnesota, outclassed 37-12, beating 104-95.
The Wolves grabbed the Grizzlies by the throat of entry by showing a great defense to attack with a 12-0 lead under the impulse of an already unstoppable Pat Beverley. The Morant-Bane duo managed to bring Memphis down to -5 (18-13) before allowing another outburst marked by the three-pointers of the Russell-Edwards-Beasley trio (39-21). The locals took over the second quarter with an 8-0 score before seeing Patrick Beverley put on a show with a two-stage basket using the backboard and a dunk in the transition making the score 51-29!
At the bottom of the hole, the Grizzlies responded again by aligning a 15-0 to restore calm led by Desmond Bane, author of three 3-point baskets (51-44).
Everything was about to be done again for the Wolves who were undeterred and recovered by hitting a 17-4 as soon as they got back from the locker room, with an Anthony Edwards in all the right moves and a Russell-McDaniels tandem in support (68-48) . The duo thought they would bring the point home by linking two 3-point baskets together (76-54).
Back to -16 at the start of the fourth quarter (83-67), the Grizzlies nevertheless found a way to put the pressure back on by going 13-0 to start the period with the Morant-Bane-Clarke-Jackson Jr quartet in command, and Tyus Jones, a Minnesota native, to put the pressure back on a 3-point basket (83-80)!
Anthony Edwards missed two shots, enough to boost morale for Memphis, who equalized on a three-pointer into the corner on a laser pass from the left hand of Ja Morant (83-83). At the end of possession, Tyus Jones put a low behind the arc, allowing the Grizzlies to pass for the first time in the game (85-86)!
Along the way, Taylor Jenkins’ men finished the job with two big three-pointers from the Bane-Brooks duo and a show of dedication from Brandon Clarke, rewarded with two baskets and two shots to kill the tension (92-102). Author of a “triple-double”, Ja Morant offered a final layup left hand and Memphis won 104-95 and led 2-1 in the series.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– A series match. Wolves dominated proceedings by doing what the Grizzlies have been doing all season, increasing their defensive intensity to outsmart their opponent early in the game and early in the second half. Problem is, their runs weren’t enough and Memphis, in turn, distinguished themselves with two devastating runs: a 15-0 before halftime and a 21-0 between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth quarter. From euphoria, Wolves went into a nightmare, unable to score six long minutes into the final act (0/8 to start the period).
– Taylor Jenkins paid adjustments. There was the Xavier Tillman spark in Game 2. In this Game 3, it was Brandon Clarke who stood out with 20 points, 8 rebounds and a breathtaking end to the intense play on both sides of the floor. It was necessary to have a few to leave Steven Adams on the bench, but Taylor Jenkins knew what he was doing and his interior reacted to the last two games won by Memphis.
TOPS/FLOPS
Desmond Bane† The fullback was again invaluable with his hot shots that kept the Grizzlies alive before halftime and his composure late in the game to make the right choices and finish Wolves.
Brandon Clarke† Grizzlies’ energizer almost single-handedly killed the game by scoring 8 of his 20 points in the money time, as well as forcing a walk from KAT and taking the offensive rebound that allowed Dillon Brooks to finish in a 3-point suspense . Great art!
Karl Anthony Towns† KAT went on again, between his mistakes, his more than discreet attack and his inattention that sometimes earned him the reprimands of his teammates. As a symbol, he took Dillon Brooks’ three-pointer in his head, a basket that finally put an end to the hopes of his people.
THE FOLLOWING
The two teams will meet on Saturday night in Minneapolis (4:00 p.m.) for the fourth round of the series.
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