MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns scored all 16 of his points after halftime, including a buzzer-beating desperation shot in overtime to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Memphis Grizzlies 99-97 on Wednesday night.
Memphis led twice during overtime, but Towns helped Minnesota closed it out. On the final possession, Andrew Wiggins ran the clock down to six seconds before shooting a pull-up 3. The rebound fell to the right side, where Towns grabbed it, dribbled once and floated up a shot as he faded toward the corner. The ball went in, and Towns tossed up his hands before getting mobbed by teammates.
Towns dealt with foul trouble through the first three quarters but was in the right position for Minnesota to win it's fourth in a row. He added 10 rebounds in just 27 minutes.
Jerryd Bayless had 19 points and a career-high 12 assists for the Timberwolves on a frigid night with an announced crowd of 13,615 in Minnesota. Many fewer actually showed up for the game between two teams with losing records.
Mike Conley had 26 points and eight assists for Memphis, which lost for the 12th time in 13 road games. Marc Gasol had 19 points, and Ivan Rabb had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies.
Towns tied it at 93 with 33.6 seconds left in regulation, and neither team could convert to avoid overtime.
Trying to recover after blowing a 25-point lead in a loss to Denver on Monday, the Grizzlies fell behind early against Minnesota.
Memphis started the game 1 of 6 from the field with five turnovers less than five minutes into the game and scored just 16 points in the first quarter.
Bayless hit a jump shot to end a 7-0 run for the Wolves to start the second quarter and open up a 15-point advantage. The Grizzlies countered with a 26-9 spurt of their own, and neither team was able to pull away in the second half.
GUARD HELP
Minnesota signed Isaiah Canaan to a 10-day contract Wednesday as the Wolves are missing three point guards because of injury. Canaan, 27, played 13 minutes with three points and one assist.
A six-year veteran, Canaan played in 19 games this season for Phoenix and averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 assists in 26.5 minutes per game.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: F JaMychal Green returned after missing the previous game with left knee soreness. Green was scoreless in five minutes. ... Jaren Jackson Jr. was questionable to play due to an illness, but the rookie forward started and had 14 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Jackson is the only Memphis player to play in every game this season. ... Omri Casspi (right knee soreness) and Garrett Temple (left shoulder sprain) each missed their third straight game. ... The Grizzlies last road win was Dec. 23 at the Los Angeles Lakers. They won in Minnesota on Nov. 18 and are 8-18 on the road.
Timberwolves: Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones all missed the game. Teague has missed five games with soreness in his left foot. Rose hasn't played in the past three games with a sore right ankle, and Jones has missed seven games with a sprained left ankle. F Robert Covington missed his 14th straight game with a right knee bone bruise. .... Bayless had his first double-double since Nov. 7, 2015 and just the fifth of his career. He was three rebounds shy of his first triple-double.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: At Charlotte on Friday.
Timberwolves: Host Denver on Saturday.
