Big third quarter powers Timberwolves past Grizzlies

Mike Conley scored 19 points against his former team, Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 24 and the Minnesota Timberwolves used a big third quarter to run past the host Memphis Grizzlies 127-103 on Friday night.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (four), Troy Brown Jr. (four) and Shake Milton (three) combined for 11 3-pointers as they each scored in double figures, helping the Timberwolves win their sixth in a row as they began a three-game trip.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had a team-high 21 points and Desmond Bane added 16 points for Memphis, which lost for the second time in three games.

David Roddy scored to trim Memphis' deficit to 72-66 with 8:41 left in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves answered. Conley hit a short jumper, Brown and Alexander-Walker each drilled 3-pointers and Towns connected from short range to cap a 10-0 flurry that extended Minnesota's lead to 16.

The Timberwolves led 98-79 after three quarters and the Grizzlies were never threatened in the final 12 minutes.

Towns shot 7 of 14 and Conley was 6-for-11 as Minnesota shot 50 percent from the floor. Minnesota also connected on 15 of 38 3-point attempts (39.5 percent) as Alexander-Walker went 4-for-8 and Brown finished 4-for-6.

Brown had 20 points, Milton scored 17, Alexander-Walker added 14 and Naz Reid contributed 10 for the Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert grabbed a game-high 20 rebounds and finished with 16 points.

Conley, who remains the all-time scoring leader in Grizzlies history, also had seven assists.

Santi Aldama grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to go with nine points and six assists for the Grizzlies, who were without Marcus Smart (foot).

Roddy added 13 points and Xavier Tillman scored 12 for Memphis, which suffered a similar shellacking — 119-97 — when the Timberwolves visited last month.

—Field Level Media