Green-led Grizzlies outduel Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS -- JaMychal Green scored a career-high 29 points and Mike Conley added 20 points and eight assists as the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies managed a gritty 107-99 win at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
James Ennis added 13 points for Memphis. Zach Randolph had nine points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with five minutes left for the Grizzlies, who were without three starters. Playing its sixth game in nine days, Memphis rested All-Star center Marc Gasol, forward Chandler Parsons and guard Tony Allen.
Green's career game helped fill the void and plenty of others stepped up for the Grizzlies, who have won three of their past four games. Veteran Vince Carter came up with three clutch 3-pointers, and Troy Daniels added 11 points off the bench.
Karl-Anthony Towns had his 10th straight double-double with 27 points and 16 rebounds for Minnesota, which was playing its first game since guard Zach LaVine tore his ACL. Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and Ricky Rubio scored 14, but the Timberwolves lost their third straight game.
Minnesota took a one-point lead on the first possession of the fourth quarter, but Memphis quickly countered to regain the lead and held on as Green scored 11 points in the fourth. He was 12 of 12 from the free-throw line for the game.
The Timberwolves raced to an early lead with both teams playing the second game of a back-to-back after losses on Friday. Minnesota ended the first on a 16-2 run and had assists on 10 of its 11 made baskets in the quarter.
Then the Grizzlies' suffocating defense clamped down on the Timberwolves. Memphis, which entered the game allowing the third-fewest points and third-lowest shooting percentage in the league, took control by forcing six turnovers and turning them into 12 points in the second.
Green scored 11 of his points in the second as his team ended the half on a 17-5 run to erase an 18-point deficit and tie the game.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Carter gave the Grizzlies a 66-55 edge. But the Timberwolves countered with key baskets by reserves Shabazz Muhammad, Nemanja Bjelica and Tyus Jones.
Muhammad scored the final seven points of the quarter to cut the lead to 69-67 and Jones opened the fourth with a scrambling 3.
NOTES: Minnesota announced G Zach LaVine suffered a torn ACL in the third quarter of Friday's 116-108 loss at Detroit and will miss the rest of the season. LaVine was averaging a career-best 18.9 points per game to go 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. LaVine was third in the NBA in minutes per game (37.2) behind Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Cleveland's LeBron James, while being tied for 13th in the league in 3-pointers made per game. .. G Brandon Rush started for LaVine and will likely start at shooting guard. In two starts for LaVine earlier this season, Rush played more than at least 36 minutes each game and scored 23 points. ... Memphis rested C Marc Gasol, F Chandler Parsons and G Tony Allen. It was just the third game Gasol has missed this season, and second against Minnesota. Gasol had played 41:32 in Friday's loss to Oklahoma City. Parsons has been limited to 23 games because of injuries this season.