Grizzlies 90, Timberwolves 86
Tony Allen scored 20 points in a perfect shooting performance and Rudy Gay added 19 points to help the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 90-86 on Wednesday night.
Allen was 8 of 8 from the floor and hit all four of his attempts from the free-throw line.
O.J. Mayo scored 14 points off the bench and Mike Conley had 12 and eight assists for the Grizzlies, playing their first game since learning that All-Star forward Zach Randolph will miss up to two months with a knee ligament tear.
Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with 27 points and 14 rebounds for his league-leading sixth double-double of the season. Rookie Ricky Rubio finished with 12 points and 10 assists in a season-high 32 minutes.
The Grizzlies overcame a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run that concluded when Mayo’s free throw made it 76-68 with 4:07 remaining.
Love would cut the lead to 78-76 with a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:45 to play. The Timberwolves then had a chance to tie or go ahead when Anthony Tolliver’s errant pass was intercepted by Conley and led to an Allen layup the other way for the four-point lead.
Rubio nailed a 3 to get it to 84-83 with 16.5 seconds to go but Mayo later made two free throws for an 88-85 cushion. Minnesota's Luke Ridnour was then fouled and made his first free throw before being called for a lane violation while attempting to intentionally miss the second.