Timberwolves at Grizzlies
The Minnesota Timberwolves' only win in the last four games came at home against the Grizzlies on Wednesday and they will try to turn the same trick when they visit Memphis on Tuesday. The Timberwolves are kicking off a three-game road trip at Memphis that will see them play three games in four nights.
Minnesota came out on top in a close one against the Grizzlies, earning a 99-97 victory in overtime on Wednesday, but was on the other end on Saturday as Luol Deng's 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark in a 107-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets. "It's so hard, after battling that hard, to come up short like that," Timberwolves veteran forward Taj Gibson told reporters. "So tough." Memphis knows all about tough times with losses in 17 of the last 20 games but at least comes into Tuesday's rematch with some momentum after finishing up the three-game road trip with a 96-84 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Grizzlies got back to doing what they do best and locked down on the defensive end, holding the Knicks to 38.4 percent shooting while forcing 16 turnovers.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS North-Plus (Minnesota), FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (25-27): All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns did his part with 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists on Saturday but did not get much help from swingman Andrew Wiggins, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in 35 minutes. Wiggins, a former No. 1 overall pick, is 8-of-29 from the floor over the last two games, including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Veteran point guard Jerryd Bayless is trying to pick up some of the slack and recorded his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 assists against the Nuggets.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (21-33): Memphis is coming up to the trade deadline on Thursday with the future of several key players up in the air after the organization let it be known last month that veterans Mike Conley and Marc Gasol were on the market. Both veterans showed off their value in Sunday's triumph, with Conley collecting 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals and Gasol adding 24 points and nine boards. Fellow veteran Justin Holiday, who was already traded once this season when he came over from the Chicago Bulls, added 19 points in the victory.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies SF Kyle Anderson (shoulder) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.
2. Timberwolves PG Jeff Teague (foot) missed the last six games and remains questionable.
3. The teams split the first two meetings - both in Minnesota.