MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — First, Ja Morant gave the Memphis Grizzlies and their fans a much-needed boost of energy by flying through the air for a big dunk late in the third quarter.
Then the All-Star shooting guard took over for the final two minutes of the game.
Morant scored the final 11 points for Memphis, and his layup with one second to left capped the Grizzlies’ big rally from 11 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 on Tuesday night for a 3-lead. -2 in their Western Conference first-round series.
“Go get a bucket. Ha,” Morant said of the game-winning play.
Morant, named the NBA’s Most Improved Player on Monday, struggled a lot for much of the game. But he turned it on in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points, including 9-for-10 at the free throw line. His only 3-pointer of the game came with 1:03 left, giving Memphis its first lead since the first quarter.
“Obviously, he had a brilliant fourth quarter,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
The Grizzlies point guard came from the low post as the Grizzlies fumbled the ball with 3.7 seconds left and lost Anthony Edwards at the top of the key. That left him with an open path into the paint that he has so rarely had in this series, beating Jarred Vanderbilt with a left hand on an underhand layup.
Edwards said he wanted to try to steal the ball.
“Stupid mistake,” Edwards said.
Morant finished with 30 and had 13 rebounds and nine assists. Desmond Bane added 25 points, and Brandon Clarke had 21 off the bench for Memphis, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 12 before fouling.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Edwards had 22, D’Angelo Russell added 12 and Taurean Prince 10.
Game 6 is Friday night in Minnesota and the Wolves are now trying to force a Game 7 on Sunday in Memphis.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Towns said. “You feel like you have it after all the mistakes made and all that. We hit a big 3 to tie the game with 4 seconds left. You feel good. You feel good going into overtime and having a chance to win the game. It’s just a learning experience.”
The Timberwolves led 99-88 with 6:58 remaining after three Towns free throws, and Jackson fouled for the second straight game. The Grizzlies responded with a 10-0 run to set up an exciting ending to what had been an ugly, poor-shooting game, and outscored Minnesota 37-24 in the fourth.
Edwards tied it at 109 for Minnesota with a 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left. That set Morant up for the final drive to the basket for the game-winning goal to start the celebration.
Clarke said he told Morant during the hug that he thanked God the Grizzlies had him on their team.
“Thank God you’re as good as you are because we just fought really hard,” Clarke said. a player who can make a very, very big endgame. And I was like, ‘Yeah, thank God we got you, man.
Jenkins was fined $15,000 Monday for criticizing the referee after Game 4, a 119-118 Minnesota victory. On Tuesday, his Grizzlies got to the free throw line more than Minnesota: They just didn’t shoot well once there, shooting 26-of-39 to Minnesota’s 21-of-24.
The Grizzlies opened the game with a 13-2 run and appeared to be the highest-seeded team in franchise history.
Jackson then committed his second foul on Patrick Beverley’s 3 and went to the bench. The Timberwolves, the NBA’s best 3-point shooting team in the regular season, began knocking down shots, going 7-for-11 from outside the arc and leading 31-28 late in the first quarter.
Minnesota led 55-53 at halftime, then outscored Memphis 30-21 in the third. But Morant capped the fourth with a windmill dunk that helped give the Grizzlies some much-needed energy.
TIPS
Timberwolves: Russell was 17-for-55 overall and 9-for-24 from beyond the arc in this series. He made his first two shots Tuesday, a pair of straight 3-pointers, and went 2-for-4 from 3 and 4-for-10 from the floor. … Beverley had his first four-point play of the postseason at 8:14 of the first quarter.
Grizzlies: Memphis outrebounded Minnesota 53-42, including 18-6 on the offensive board. That led to 23 second-chance points for the Grizzlies. Bane was given a technical foul in the second quarter for pushing Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. Bane also opened the game with his 20th 3-pointer in this series. … Ziaire Williams played four minutes and did not finish the match due to discomfort in his right knee.
ON THE BOARDS
Memphis outrebounded Minnesota 53-42, including 18-6 on the offensive board. That led to 23 second-chance points for the Grizzlies. Clarke had 15 rebounds, nine offensive.
“He’s always in the right place at the right time,” Towns said of Clarke. “He climbs up a block, and he magically spins right into the exact spot the ball came out of.”
IN THE CROWD
Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph were the former Grizzlies in attendance along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Kentucky coach John Calipari sat near the Timberwolves’ bench. Minnesota co-owner Alex Rodriguez was also in attendance, and Usher was also in attendance sitting next to Morant’s father, Tee.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Reference-www.tsn.ca