MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jonas Valanciunas had 24 points and 16 rebounds, Grayson Allen scored a season-high 20 off the bench and the Memphis Grizzlies came back to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-107 on Wednesday night.
Brandon Clarke added 19 points for Memphis, which outscored Minnesota 38-17 in the fourth quarter to win its third straight game.
Playing without Ja Morant for the eighth game in a row, the Grizzlies had a 50-21 advantage in points off the bench. De’Anthony Melton scored 15 and rookie Xavier Tillman chipped in with 12.
Malik Beasley had 28 points for Minnesota. D’Angelo Russell added 25 and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds.
The teams continue a two-game series Friday in Minnesota.
“Got to be more physical,” Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said. “That’s a physical group over there. Got to be more physical, plain and simple. Take pride in guarding the ball. Take pride in protecting the rim.”
The two youngest clubs in the NBA to start this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, are still trying to find their way through injury and ineffectiveness. Morant has been limited to three games because of a left ankle sprain, while Justice Winslow and Jaren Jackson Jr. haven’t played this season.
“It’s always been next man up,” Allen said. “We just have a bunch of hoopers on this team. It makes it easy to just get different groups in there and just play. We’ve got a bunch of guys playing the right way, it makes it easy.”
Towns has missed seven games after dislocating his left wrist. The Wolves were winless without their big man in the middle before beating San Antonio on Sunday with Towns sitting out the second game of a back-to-back.
With Towns on the bench to start the fourth, Memphis went on a 14-0 run to take a 94-92 lead. Allen hit a pair of 3-pointers during the spurt as the Grizzlies’ bench again took advantage.
The Wolves went to their starters to stem the tide, but couldn’t handle Valanciunas down low, while the Grizzlies upped their defensive pressure.
“In the fourth, we didn’t play defense,” Towns said.
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