The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a complete collapse on Thursday night, blowing multiple leads of over 20 points in a 104-92 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Much like Game 1 of the series, the Timberwolves took control early. With a raucous Target Center crowd cheering them on, the Wolves put up 39 points in the first quarter.
Minnesota continued to get what they wanted in the second building a 26-point lead. But the Timberwolves began to settle for tough shots. Anthony Edwards temporarily exited after banging his knee with Dillon Brooks.
With D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns picking up three fouls each in the first half, Memphis went on a 23-4 run and scored the final 15 points of the third quarter.
After going into halftime with a 51-44 lead, the Timberwolves re-established themselves in the third quarter.
Russell was a non-factor in the first two games but rebounded in Game 3. With 22 points and seven assists on the night. The Timberwolves also got a strong night for Anthony Edwards, who put up 19 points and seven rebounds to help Minnesota build a 21-point lead.
But like the first two games, only two of Minnesota’s “Big 3” showed up. Towns found himself in foul trouble again and looked passive on the court. With just three points on the night, Towns was a non-factor and picked up his fifth personal foul after getting tangled up with Jaren Jackson Jr. with 9:24 left in the fourth quarter.
The foul was part of a game-altering run for the Grizzlies, who went on a 21-0 run to tie the game at 83. Memphis took control of the game from there with Desmond Bane pouring in a game-high 26 points to help the Grizzlies take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Timberwolves will need to rebound quickly. They’ll host the Grizzlies for Game 4 on Saturday night.
