Timberwolves 141 , Grizzlies 125: Record Breaking Third Quarter Brings Massive Win

Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards combined for 85 points as the Timberwolves’ 52-point third quarter leads to their biggest win of the season.

After a brutal loss Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Minnesota Timberwolves have no time to hang their head as the biggest game of the season looms. Win, and you have a clear path to escaping the play-in and securing at least the 6 seed in the playoffs.

Lose, and you condemn yourself to fight for your life (and potentially season) in a sudden-death playoff game for your right in the postseason. A regular season game doesn’t get much bigger than this, and the outcome will send repercussions that will last into the offseason. It’s time to throw away Tuesday and focus on tonight.

The opening 12 minutes were played at a blistering offensive pace by both teams as Memphis and Minnesota flowed into easy looks. The two offensive pillars for the Wolves were firing early, with eight points apiece during the opening minutes to the tune of a 9-0 run that gave Minnesota an early lead.

Ja Morant didn’t quit, however, as he drilled a couple of out-of-character threes accompanied by the grenade celebration as the Grizzlies answered with a 14-3 run of their own. Minnesota kept at it and Julius Randle distributing four assists allowed a six-point advantage to start.

The hot streak for both squads continued well into the second quarter as Anthony Edwards and Desmond Bane duked it out. They both were lacing jumpers and getting into a rhythm as the offensive prowess maintained. As the Wolves slowed a bit down the stretch, Memphis continued to roll. While there wasn’t much guarding going on, the Grizzlies still shot an unreal 65% from the field and 68% from three.

Desmond Bane led that charge with 22 points in the 2nd quarter. Anthony Edwards matched that output as he had 26 at halftime but Memphis’ offense was just that much better with a slight five-point advantage heading into the final 24.

The Timberwolves kicked into gear in the third with Julius Randle leading the charge. The Wolves went on a 24-2 run to start and stiffened their defense while using transition opportunities to get easy looks.

As they forced Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. to four fouls a piece, the red carpet to the rim was rolled out and Rudy Gobert started to get involved. This masterful period was capped by a 3-point barrage from Anthony Edwards and a franchise-record 52 points in the third quarter. Anthony Edwards led the way with 44 points. One quarter left, lots of time as we know all too well from just 48 hours ago.

With a chance to right the wrongs from recently, the Timberwolves still found a way to make it interesting. After a 10-2 run for the Grizzlies and some special Ja Morant plays, Memphis got the lead down to 10 at one point but never into single digits. Not the best quarter, but a huge win for the Timberwolves and one that positions themselves in a great spot to stay out of the play-in and get a playoff series. A Julius Randle stepback three was the final blow, and the Timberwolves have two games left to clinch the postseason.

---

Key Takeaways

A Synergistic Pairing

If the Timberwolves are going to go anywhere, they need performances like these from their two best offensive players in big spots. Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards provided that tonight. Randle was controlling the game from the start with his blend of brutish scoring and finesse facilitating.

He finished with 31 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and added five assists. In the 4th when things felt a bit scary, he locked it down and gave Minnesota the needed boost to close out the win. Anthony Edwards starred again in a big spot. Ant finished with 44 points on just 19 shots and went 7/11 from the 3-point line. He kept the Wolves in lockstep while the Grizzlies couldn’t miss, and helped push the lead in the third quarter when everything was snowballing. Two great performances that accounted for over half the team’s points.

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Turning Point

The biggest place where it unraveled for the Grizzlies was at the 9:31 mark in the third quarter where Jaren Jackson Jr. picked up his 4th foul. This was after Zach Edey also picked up his 4th which led to free runs at the rim for the Timberwolves.

As Mike Conley and Julius Randle walked to the rim for easy lay-ins Memphis called a timeout. But, the floodgates had already opened. That gave the Wolves a nine-point lead and helped them find their rhythm as they continued on an insane pace for the rest of the quarter. Small moments that lead to a huge margin.

Historic Third Quarter

The game was won in the third quarter with a franchise-record 52 points. They turned a five-point disadvantage into a 22-point advantage in just 12 minutes. Everyone was contributing but Ant and Julius provided the match as they found pay dirt over and over and over again. The Wolves shot 18/21 in the frame and hit 7/8 threes to demoralize Memphis as the game headed into the final quarter. It was an unbelievable showing that was perfectly timed to lift the Timberwolves to their biggest win of the season.

---

Up Next

The Timberwolves will travel back home for their final two games of the season. They start tomorrow night on the tail end of a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets. Minnesota may need to go 2-0 to avoid the play-in tournament, so every game is massive with the postseason around the corner.

---

Game Highlights