Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 15 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 108-106 victory Monday over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
Desmond Bane added 22 and Ja Morant contributed 19 points and seven assists for Memphis, which won for the fourth time in five games. Jackson led the team with 11 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 32 points and Naz Reid had 29 points and eight rebounds. Rob Dillingham poured in a career-high 15 points and Jaden McDaniels posted a double-double of 11 points and 12 boards. Edwards missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Grizzlies trailed 95-86 midway through the fourth quarter, but rallied behind Jackson and a late 11-0 run that put Memphis ahead 106-100 with 2:20 to go. The Grizzlies made 9 of 9 free throws in the final 4:14.
The Grizzlies, who improved to 16-5 at home, trailed by 16 in the first half. For Minnesota, it was the largest blown lead of the season.
Morant returned to the lineup after missing Friday’s lopsided win at San Antonio with right foot soreness. Morant has missed 18 games this season due to a variety of injuries.
Memphis jumped out to an 11-point lead in the opening quarter behind Jackson (six early points). But the Timberwolves responded with 8-0 and 13-0 runs in the final seven minutes and led 28-21 entering the second quarter.
The Timberwolves extended their advantage to as many as 16 points late in the second quarter and led 54-43 at halftime. Edwards had 10 in the second quarter and 22 at the break.
The Grizzlies struggled in the first half, shooting 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from beyond the arc and 34.1 percent overall. As a result, Memphis was held to its fewest first-half points of the season.
The Timberwolves played without starting point guard Donte DiVincenzo, who is out indefinitely with a left big toe sprain. He missed his third straight game.
Making his long-awaited season debut for the Grizzlies Monday was reserve GG Jackson. He broke a bone in his right foot during the offseason and missed the first half of 2024-25. As a rookie in 2023-24, Jackson averaged 14.6 points and 4.1 rebounds. He scored four points in 11 minutes off the bench Monday.