The Grizzlies led for most of the game, but couldn’t hang on at the end Saturday night, in a 109-102 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Memphis led from early in the first quarter until just over three minutes remained in the game.
The essential problem for the Grizz was a lack of defensive focus, especially in the fourth quarter. The T’wolves scored 33 points in the fourth, shooting an unbelievable 77% from the floor, including a number of clean looks that had to drive Memphis coach Lionel Hollins nuts. Minnesota finished the game with a 10-3 run, leaving the Grizzlies with a 1-and-11 record in the second game of back-to-back sets this season. It’s their third loss in a row, and fifth in their last six games.
The story of this season will be written in how the Grizzlies respond to this patch of adversity. After the horrific 1-and-8 start and the Allen Iverson debacle, the Grizz came together to win 24 of their next 35 before hitting the current slump.
At 26-24, Memphis sits two and a half games behind eighth place Portland for the final Western Conference playoff berth. Worse, there are two teams between Memphis and Portland (Houston, New Orleans), both of whom currently own tiebreaker advantages over the Grizz.
Another tough game awaits the Grizzlies on Tuesday night, as the Atlanta Hawks (currently fourth in the East at 32-17) come to FedExForum in the final game before next weekend’s All-Star break.
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