The Memphis Grizzlies tied the streak with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Game 2, the Grizzlies won 124-96 as Superstar Ja Morant scored his first triple-double in the playoffs.
Memphis Grizzlies (2) – Minnesota Timberwolves (7) 124:96 (BOXSCORE)
The Grizzlies are back in business. After the Wolves turned out the lights in Game 1, the hosts kept Minnesota just 39% off the field this time around. Anthony Edwards (20, 7/16 FG) thawed a bit after a weak first half, but this time he had very little support. Karl-Anthony Towns (15, 11 rebounds) was withdrawing from the game and out of rhythm with unnecessary fouls, little came from the rest of the team, the same went for D’Angelo Russell (11, 3/11).
The Grizzlies capitalized on their team’s depth this time around, though All-Star Ja Morant was still the better player. With 10 points in four minutes, the point guard was responsible for the fact that the Grizzlies walked away after the break and didn’t let anything burn. With 23 points (9/16), 9 rebounds and 10 assists, the ace narrowly missed a triple-double.
Memphis focused on his strengths, mostly rebounds (14 OREB), fast play and lots of zone shots (60 zone points). Eight players scored at least 9 points, including Jaren Jackson Jr. (16, 4/7 of three, 7 rebounds) and Desmond Bane (16).
As fun as Game 1 was, this time it was difficult at first. There was a shower of fouls and criticism, so there was almost no flow of the game. With 20 fouls (and 33 free throws), an inglorious record for the last 25 years, this section lasted 41 minutes. A little basketball was also played, like here with this beautiful Morant hole.
Morant kicks off Grizzlies win with Run
Wolves stayed on thanks to the difficult pitch, but then the Grizzlies took over the bench around Xavier Tillman (13, 6/7, 7 boards), who only played because all the other greats had already committed two fouls. On the Wolves side, however, Towns quickly took a third avoidable foul, but this time Edwards couldn’t make up for it. The first pick of 2020 lacked rhythm, symbolized by a three from the corner, which fell on the board.
This allowed the hosts to play at their fast pace, resulting in a double-digit halftime lead (60:49). It was heading to the Grizzlies and what better indicator than a Morant three? The point guard hit two in a minute and made another offensive foul on Towns on the other side. The four-minute 17:4 run extended the lead to 24 points.
There was a small moment of shock, however, when Morant injured his hip at the end of the third quarter when Towns put up a dirty canvas (no whistle). The point guard returned despite the clear score after spending a few minutes on the Grizzlies’ bench with a lot of ice on his hips.
So the series is balanced, now it continues in Minneapolis. Game 3 of the series takes place on Friday night at 1:30am.
Grizzlies vs. Wolves: The Series at a Glance (1-1)
| Match | date | Time | home | far away | result |
| 1 | april 16 | 9.30 pm | Memphis Grizzlies | Minnesota Timberwolves | 117:130 |
| two | april 20 | 2:30 am | Memphis Grizzlies | Minnesota Timberwolves | 124:96 |
| 3 | April 22nd | 1:30 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Memphis Grizzlies | – |
| 4 | April 24th | 4 hours | Minnesota Timberwolves | Memphis Grizzlies | – |
| 5 | april 27 | to be defined | Memphis Grizzlies | Minnesota Timberwolves | – |
| 6* | April 30th | to be defined | Minnesota Timberwolves | Memphis Grizzlies | – |
| 7* | 1st May | to be defined | Memphis Grizzlies | Minnesota Timberwolves | – |
*if necessary