MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ It was natural to think that the Timberwolves might have some trouble scoring without their top two point guards.
But they didn't fall 137-121 to Memphis at FedEx Forum because of their offense. It was the other end of the floor that let them down.
The Grizzlies shot 57% for the game, 52% from 3-point range as they outpaced the Wolves 36-25 in the fourth quarter. Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 31 points while dynamic rookie Ja Morant had 26.
Karl-Anthony Towns had some early rust in his first game back from a two-game suspension and finished 25 points and 13 rebounds on 8-of-19 shooting. Andrew Wiggins had 30, but the Wolves couldn't contain Memphis in the fourth. Brooks began the quarter on fire and had 13 points within the first 5:23 of the fourth to put Memphis up 10. The Wolves could never regroup. Morant had a couple of nifty moves and by the time referees called Towns for a flagrant foul with 2:44 left and the Wolves down 14, the night was all but over.
The Wolves were down both starting point guards in Jeff Teague (illness) and Shabazz Napier (right hamstring strain) meaning they were going to have to employ some patchwork at that position. Rookie Jarrett Culver acquitted himself well in scoring 15 points and dishing out seven assists the Wolves used Jordan McLaughlin, fresh from G-League Iowa, and Wiggins at times to handle the ball.
The Wolves experienced peaks and valleys offensively in the first half while Memphis has mostly a smooth ride into the locker room. The Wolves claimed a 15-10 lead to open the game thanks to a hot start from Wiggins, who hit his first four shots. That helped compensate for a slow start for Towns, who was 1 of his first 6. But Memphis gathered itself and started exposing holes in the Wolves defense. Jae Crowder was a handful for the Wolves to contain, while Brooks and Brandon Clarke combined to go 8 for 11 in the opening 24 minutes. The Grizzlies went on a 17-2 run as the Wolves struggled and Towns was trying to find his rhythm.
The second unit without Josh Okogie was lacking defensively, and this is where Memphis did most of its damage with Clarke finding room to operate inside.
The Wolves mounted their answer to the Grizzlies in the second quarter as Towns finally started getting some shots to drop and Robert Covington picked up the slack from the outside. Covington his three triples while Towns started bullying Memphis defenders off the drive and getting layups. Memphis led at one point 44-28, but the Wolves went on a 15-4 spurt over the span of 4:15 to get back in it. Eventually, they would take a 53-52 lead. But Memphis' hot shooting helped it build the lead back by the end of the half. The Grizzlies hit 8 of 13 from 3-point range in the first half compared to 9 of 24 for the Wolves and had a 72-64 lead at the half.
The third quarter was more even handed than the first two, with neither team making any significant runs against the other. It took a while to get through because both teams were in the bonus with more than eight minutes remaining. Culver looked more comfortable handling the ball and initiating the offense, following six points in the second quarter with eight in the third. The Wolves were able to hold the fort without him on the floor through the end of the third and beginning of the fourth. They stared the latter with a lineup of McLaughlin, Wiggins, Okogie, Treveon Graham and Noah Vonleh. But after Towns came back on, Brooks took over and the Wolves were playing catch up. They never did.
