Timberwolves 102, Grizzlies 88
Kevin Love had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double as host Minnesota defeated Memphis for only the second time in the last 15 meetings.
Kevin Martin scored 21 points and Ricky Rubio added 14 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves. Ronny Turiaf had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and collected seven rebounds and three blocked shots as Minnesota evened its record at .500 with eight games remaining.
Marc Gasol had 18 points and Courtney Lee added 14 for the Grizzlies, who are in a three-way tie with Dallas and Phoenix for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. Zach Randolph had just four points on 1-of-8 shooting.
Minnesota held a nine-point lead before erupting for a 15-4 run that put the game away. Martin scored eight straight during the surge, Turiaf scored back-to-back baskets and Corey Brewer capped it with two free throws to make it 100-80 with 2:53 remaining.
The Timberwolves led 48-41 at halftime and stretched the lead to 18 on a dunk by Love with one minute left in the third. Minnesota held a 77-61 advantage entering the final stanza before Memphis pulled within nine on a dunk by Ed Davis with eight minutes to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Timberwolves C Nikola Pekovic sat out after reinjuring his troublesome ankle on Monday. … The Grizzlies were just 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, while Minnesota was 11-of-16. … Love was called for a flagrant 1 foul for delivering an elbow to Grizzlies F James Johnson with 8:37 remaining.