NBA: Ja Morant leads Grizzlies to convincing win over Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies look on during the second half at FedExForum on February 10, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP
Behind a balanced offensive effort, led by Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies rolled to a 128-107 home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Morant had 32 points, including 20 in the first half, nine assists and nine rebounds. Desmond Bane added 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 15 points and six rebounds.
Santi Aldama (18 points, four rebounds) and Brandon Clarke (14 points, four rebounds) were terrific off the bench for the Grizzlies.
Dillon Brooks fouled out early and finished with just six points.
Memphis shot 58.3 percent (49 of 84) from the field for the game and was 10 of 25 on 3-pointers.
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Jaylen Nowell led Minnesota with 21 points off the bench on 9 of 16 shooting from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the arc. Anthony Edwards added 17 points and five assists.
Former Memphis star Mike Conley Jr. had nine points and three assists in his Minnesota debut. Kyle Anderson returned after a two-game absence and had 12 points and six rebounds.
Taurean Prince (12 points), Naz Reid (10 points) and Rudy Gobert (eight points, 10 boards) also played well for the Timberwolves.
Minnesota held a 32-31 lead after a quarter behind seven points from Edwards and six points from Prince. Morant had eight for the Grizzlies.
An early second-quarter charge, sparked by Tyus Jones and Clarke, put Memphis up 48-44 with 6:46 to play in the second quarter. The Grizzlies went on a 12-2 run with a little over two minutes left and the half ended 69-58 after Morant nailed a 3-pointer with two seconds to go.
A dazzling alley-oop dunk by Morant ignited the crowd early in the second half, putting Memphis up 85-73 with 7:03 to go in the third quarter. The Grizzlies outscored the Timberwolves 18-13 the remainder of the way and took a 103-86 lead into the fourth quarter.
A David Roddy 3-pointer with 8:28 to go in the game gave Memphis an insurmountable 112-92 lead.
