Towns scores 24 points, Gobert dominates inside in Timberwolves' 127-103 victory over Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, Rudy Gobert had 16 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks and the NBA-leading Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 127-103 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.
Mike Conley added 19 points and seven assists to help Minnesota improve to 17-4. Gobert had 20 rebounds for the second straight game.
Troy Brown Jr., who replaced the injured Anthony Edwards early in the game, scored 20 points, connecting on 8 of 10 shots, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
“I think that's a strength of our team,” Gobert said about the balanced scoring, along with Minnesota's defense. "We've got a lot of guys that can play. A lot of guys that can score, and we have an unselfish team.
Edwards, Minnesota’s leading scorer at 25.7 points a game, left four minutes in because of right hip pointer and didn’t return. Edwards missed two recent games with the same injury.
“He came down on it at an odd angle the way he landed, and it kind of flared up on him,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “Hopefully, we can get him back right.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 21 points. Desmond Bane, who had 49 points in Wednesday's win over Detroit added 16, and David Roddy had 13.
The Grizzlies are without star guard Ja Morant while he serves a 25-game suspension to start the season. He was penalized for a second online video showing him flashing a handgun. His absence leaves Memphis leaning heavily on Jackson and Bane for the offensive load with a less-than-reliable supporting cast.
Part of the Minnesota emphasis against the Grizzlies was controlling the boards. Gobert helped Minnesota to a 54-28 advantage on the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds, nine by Gobert.
“They're big, and they use the size to their advantage,” Jackson said about Minnesota's rebounding dominance, later adding: “They seal a lot. They open the floor for each other, and set crazy screens sometimes.”
Despite converting only 6 of 21 3-pointers in the half, Minnesota carried a 60-55 lead at the break. The Timberwolves would stretch the advantage to double-digits behind Brown's 11 quick points in the third period, part of Minnesota outscoring Memphis 38-24 in the period.
“Troy Brown really gave us a spark,” Finch said.
“Honestly, it just feels like I'm playing my game,” Brown said of the spurt. “I'm getting more shots than I normally would. ... They're flying, and if I see one go in, I'm definitely going to keep shooting.”
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: At New Orleans on Monday night.
Grizzlies: Host Dallas on Monday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Rudy Gobert vs. Jaren Jackson Jr. (David Roddy gains possession) | ||
| 11:45 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:42 |  | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:25 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point putback layup | ||
| 11:22 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point tip layup | 2-0 |
| 11:22 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 11:10 | | +2 | David Roddy makes two point driving dunk (Derrick Rose assists) | 2-2 |
| 10:54 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | Desmond Bane turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 10:37 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point cutting dunk (Anthony Edwards assists) | 4-2 |
| 10:22 | | +3 | David Roddy makes three point jump shot (Derrick Rose assists) | 4-5 |
| 10:09 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:09 | | Grizzlies defensive rebound | ||
| 9:56 | | +2 | Derrick Rose makes two point driving finger roll layup | 4-7 |
| 9:45 | | Bismack Biyombo personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 9:40 | | Desmond Bane blocks Nickeil Alexander-Walker's three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:37 | | Bismack Biyombo defensive rebound | ||
| 9:33 | | +2 | Desmond Bane makes two point running finger roll layup (Bismack Biyombo assists) | 4-9 |
| 9:20 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:08 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point putback layup | 6-9 |
| 8:53 | | Desmond Bane misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:51 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | Mike Conley misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:31 | | Derrick Rose defensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Derrick Rose misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:24 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | Rudy Gobert offensive foul (Derrick Rose draws the foul) | ||
| 8:14 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:01 | | +2 | Jaren Jackson Jr. makes two point driving floating jump shot (Derrick Rose assists) | 6-11 |
| 7:47 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point jump shot (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 8-11 |
| 7:33 | | +3 | Desmond Bane makes three point pullup jump shot | 8-14 |
| 7:09 | | +2 | Troy Brown Jr. makes two point pullup jump shot | 10-14 |
| 6:54 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Jaren Jackson Jr.'s two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 6:50 | | Mike Conley defensive rebound | ||
| 6:45 | | Desmond Bane personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 6:45 | | Grizzlies 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:39 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 13-14 |
| 6:29 | | Desmond Bane turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:10 | | +3 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker makes three point jump shot (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 16-14 |
| 5:47 | | +2 | Jaren Jackson Jr. makes two point turnaround hook shot | 16-16 |
| 5:33 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving dunk (Mike Conley assists) | 18-16 |
| 5:19 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker shooting foul (Derrick Rose draws the foul) | ||
| 5:19 | | +1 | Derrick Rose makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-17 |
| 5:19 | | +1 | Derrick Rose makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-18 |
| 5:07 | | Troy Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:04 | | Santi Aldama defensive rebound | ||
| 4:50 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Derrick Rose's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:48 | | Santi Aldama offensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Santi Aldama draws the foul) | ||
| 4:48 | | Santi Aldama misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | ||
| 4:48 | | Grizzlies offensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | Santi Aldama misses regular free throw 2 of 3 | ||
| 4:48 | | Grizzlies offensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | +1 | Santi Aldama makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 18-19 |
| 4:34 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 21-19 |
| 4:16 | | +3 | Vince Williams Jr. makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Nowell assists) | 21-22 |
| 4:05 | | Jaylen Nowell shooting foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:05 | | Kyle Anderson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:05 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 4:05 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-22 |
| 3:50 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Jaren Jackson Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 3:50 | | +1 | Jaren Jackson Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 22-23 |
| 3:50 | | +1 | Jaren Jackson Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-24 |
| 3:34 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker turnover (bad pass) (Jaren Jackson Jr. steals) | ||
| 3:28 | | Jaylen Nowell misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 3:24 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 3:16 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point driving layup (Kyle Anderson assists) | 24-24 |
| 2:56 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 2:54 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 2:50 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point running layup | 26-24 |
| 2:36 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. offensive foul (Troy Brown Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 2:36 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 2:36 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:14 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:10 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 2:07 | | +2 | Shake Milton makes two point driving floating jump shot (Troy Brown Jr. assists) | 28-24 |
| 1:40 | | John Konchar misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:38 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:36 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point running dunk (Kyle Anderson assists) | 30-24 |
| 1:15 | | Vince Williams Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:13 | | Santi Aldama offensive rebound | ||
| 1:13 | | Santi Aldama misses two point tip layup | ||
| 1:12 | | Santi Aldama offensive rebound | ||
| 1:04 | | John Konchar misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:01 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 0:56 | | John Konchar personal foul (Shake Milton draws the foul) | ||
| 0:45 | | +3 | Shake Milton makes three point pullup jump shot | 33-24 |
| 0:35 | | +3 | Santi Aldama makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Nowell assists) | 33-27 |
| 0:21 | | Santi Aldama blocks Kyle Anderson's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:19 | | Santi Aldama defensive rebound | ||
| 0:11 | | +3 | Jaren Jackson Jr. makes three point jump shot (Vince Williams Jr. assists) | 33-30 |
| 0:04 | | Shake Milton turnover (bad pass) (John Konchar steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | Troy Brown Jr. shooting foul (Vince Williams Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 0:00 | | Vince Williams Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:00 | | Grizzlies offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | +1 | Vince Williams Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-31 |
| 0:00 | | John Konchar blocks Naz Reid's three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:43 | | Kyle Anderson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:41 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Kyle Anderson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:33 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 11:33 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. personal foul (Loose ball) (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 11:26 | | Kyle Anderson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Santi Aldama defensive rebound | ||
| 11:11 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 11:08 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point alley-oop dunk (Kyle Anderson assists) | 35-31 |
| 10:45 | | +2 | Derrick Rose makes two point pullup jump shot | 35-33 |
| 10:24 | | +3 | Shake Milton makes three point stepback jump shot (Naz Reid assists) | 38-33 |
| 10:01 | | +2 | Jaren Jackson Jr. makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 38-35 |
| 9:46 | | Kyle Anderson misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:46 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 9:39 | | Mike Conley misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:35 | | Kyle Anderson offensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point tip layup | ||
| 9:35 | | John Konchar defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | +3 | John Konchar makes three point jump shot (Derrick Rose assists) | 38-38 |
| 8:55 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. blocks Mike Conley's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:55 | | Grizzlies defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Grizzlies 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:44 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Derrick Rose's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:40 | | Mike Conley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:35 | | Derrick Rose personal foul (Mike Conley draws the foul) | ||
| 8:30 | | Jaren Jackson Jr. shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 8:30 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-38 |
| 8:30 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-38 |
| 8:14 | | Xavier Tillman misses two point finger roll layup | ||
| 8:12 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 8:03 | | Naz Reid turnover (bad pass) (Xavier Tillman steals) | ||
| 7:59 | | Desmond Bane misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:56 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | Xavier Tillman shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 7:45 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-38 |
| 7:45 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-38 |
| 7:24 | | John Konchar misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:22 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 7:03 | | Naz Reid misses two point finger roll layup | ||
| 6:59 | | John Konchar defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | Derrick Rose misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:50 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 6:48 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point running dunk (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 44-38 |
| 6:32 | | Desmond Bane misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:29 | | Mike Conley defensive rebound | ||
| 6:21 |