It was an amazing comeback- and it was an equally amazing collapse.
The Memphis Grizzlies outscored the Minnesota Timberwolves 37-12 in the fourth quarter to come away with a 104-95 road victory Thursday night in Game 3.
Memphis trailed by as many as 26 points, and they went on a 21-0 run into the fourth quarter. Minnesota had a 98% win probability entering the fourth quarter, and lost by nine.
The first half was very similar: the Timberwolves outscored the Grizzlies 39-21 in the first quarter, but the Grizzlies outscored the Timberwolves 23-12 in the second quarter.
The Grizzlies came back from deficits of 20-plus points twice in this game.
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Ja Morant had a triple-double for Memphis, and Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies in scoring with 26.
And with the victory, Memphis takes a 2-1 series lead. If the Grizzlies win the series, Game 3 will almost certainly be viewed as the difference in the series. Even if Memphis were to now win the series 2-1, the comeback — and Minnesota collapse — will quite likely be viewed as the turning point and (significant) momentum-changer.
It’s safe to say that Game 4 in Minnesota is essentially a must-win for the Timberwolves.
The basketball world has had plenty to say about Game 3, and here’s a sampling of the Twitter reaction: