Anthony Edwards delivered a 44-point masterpiece Thursday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves powered past the Memphis Grizzlies 141-125 in a critical Western Conference battle.
Edwards scored 18 of his total in the third quarter alone, fueling a 52-point explosion that set a franchise record and marked the highest-scoring quarter by any team in the NBA this season.
Minnesota (47-33) shot 85.7% in that frame, hitting 18 of 21 attempts to break open what had been a tightly contested game.
The Timberwolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies are now locked in a three-way tie for the No. 6 spot in the West, all sitting at 47-33 with two games left.
Julius Randle added 31 points and 10 rebounds, including 14 during the third-quarter run where Minnesota outscored Memphis 52-25.
Randle made his first five shots of the second half, helping ignite a 26-5 surge that included 17 unanswered points.
Edwards finished 13-for-19 from the field and 7-for-11 from three-point range while converting 11 of 13 free throws.
Minnesota’s offensive efficiency was on full display, as the team shot 55.2% overall, 45.5% from deep, and 89.3% from the line.
Naz Reid chipped in 14 points off the bench, and Rudy Gobert had a perfect shooting night, going 5-for-5 to tally 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 36 points on 13-for-27 shooting, including five triples and a theatrical grenade-toss celebration after one of them.
Desmond Bane contributed 28 points and 9 assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 23, but the Grizzlies’ three-game win streak ended at home.
Despite shooting over 50% from both the field and three-point range, Memphis (47-33) was undone by 15 turnovers, which led to 23 Timberwolves points.
The Grizzlies were also out-rebounded 41-33 and gave up 20 threes to a Minnesota squad that came into the game needing a bounce-back performance.
Thursday’s performance offered a timely response with postseason positioning hanging in the balance.
Minnesota’s starting backcourt of Edwards and Mike Conley combined for 52 points and 12 assists, with Conley handing out 9 dimes despite a quiet scoring night.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo provided timely bench minutes, hitting five threes between them to help keep pressure on the Memphis defense.
On the other side, Morant’s individual brilliance wasn’t enough to overcome a lack of stops, as the Grizzlies gave up 37 points in the first quarter and never recovered from the third-quarter collapse.
Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo had Memphis trending upward with three straight wins entering the night, but the loss damages their chances of avoiding the play-in.
