National Basketball Association
Memphis 114, Minnesota 106
When: 3:30 PM ET, Sunday, November 15, 2015
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #33 Sean Corbin, #32 Marat Kogut, #41 Ken Mauer
Attendance: 12086

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Memphis Grizzlies like to think of themselves as shooters. On Sunday, their stats matched that image, finally.

Forward Jeff Green led the hot-shooting Grizzlies with 21 points during a 114-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Guard Mike Conley added 20 for Memphis, which had six players in double figures en route to winning its second game in a row. The Grizzles (5-6) entered the game with the NBA's worst shooting percentage, but hit on a season-best 56.3 percent of their shots in the win.

"We know we're shooters," said Conley, who had been held to just 15 points total in the Grizzlies' previous two games, but was strong offensively from start to finish on Sunday, matching his season high. "We've been in this league a long time and we've made our names with what we do, so we just have to stay aggressive, stay confident and tonight we finally saw some go in."

Guard Zach LaVine scored 25 points but the Timberwolves (4-6) could not match the Memphis shooters, falling to 0-5 at home with their fourth consecutive loss. Guard Andrew Wiggins finished with 21.

"They hit some jump shots. They shot the ball well from the outside," Wolves coach Sam Mitchell said, tipping his cap to Memphis. "That's something normally they haven't been doing. But when we come out and we don't put pressure on those guys early, then they get into a rhythm."

Trailing in the fourth, the Wolves battled to an 89-89 tie with just over five minutes to play before Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers hit a 3-pointer and Memphis would not trail again. It was another immediate impact by Chalmers, who came over in a trade with Miami on Nov. 10.

"I don't know what it was where he was from," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "You never know and it's not for us to wonder about, but we've really welcomed him with open arms just like we do with all of our guys and I think he's really comfortable, really likes the guys in the locker room."

Down 23-22 after 12 minutes, the Grizzlies opened up a 55-49 lead by halftime by shooting better than 57 percent from the field. Memphis was led by 13 points from Conley and nine from forward JaMychal Green. Center Marc Gasol led all rebounders with six.

"They're an NBA team, anybody can catch fire," LaVine said. "Their guys haven't been shooting well, so they shot the way that they usually do, in year's past. It definitely showed, almost 60 percent from the field. That's why you've got to be almost perfect."

Wiggins led the Timberwolves in the first half with 13 points while center Gorgui Deng came off the bench to record a team-best four rebounds.

LaVine got hot to start the second half, hitting a pair of 3-pointers as the Wolves went on a 9-2 run to re-capture the lead, but Memphis kept hitting shots and led 81-79 at the end of the third quarter. Conley said playing aggressive on LaVine was a key.

"I was trying to get him in foul trouble," Conley said. "He's a spark, man. He's really talented so I tried to be aggressive offensively, tried to attack him and make him foul me. He got hot and it's tough when he's making deep threes and pull-up jumpers."

Timberwolves veteran forward Kevin Garnett had eight points in 24 minutes on Sunday, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to record 50,000 minutes played or more. Garnett, picked out of high school by the Wolves in 1995, is in his 21st season.

NOTES: Officially listed as questionable, Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio missed his fourth consecutive game with a mild left hamstring strain. ... Memphis coach Dave Joerger liked what he saw from G Mario Chalmers, who scored 11 points in his Grizzlies debut Friday after coming over in a trade with Miami. "Long arms, good athlete, defender and he does a good job of getting after people with ball pressure defensively," Joerger said before Sunday's game. "He's a good shooter, stand still. Has a real moxie about him and the way he plays in pick-and-roll, just takes his time to find guys like a quarterback would." ... In a show of support for the people of France after Friday's deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, the French National Anthem was played at Target Center prior to the game. ... The Grizzlies are back home in Memphis on Monday evening, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder. Minnesota hits the road for a two-game Florida trip, visiting the Miami Heat on Tuesday and the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   Minnesota
Jeff Green 21 Scoring Zach LaVine 25
Mike Conley 7 Assists Andre Miller 8
Zach Randolph 8 Rebounds Karl-Anthony Towns 9
Mario Chalmers 10 Free Throws Made Zach LaVine 5
Tony Allen 2 Steals Kevin Garnett 3
Marc Gasol 2 Blocks Karl-Anthony Towns 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 114 56.3 9-17 25-27 21 34 6 7 16
Minnesota 106 50.0 5-16 19-21 20 33 2 10 12
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .200 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .429 after a loss.