Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves score, takeaways: Memphis overcomes 26-point deficit in comeback win in Game 3

Memphis has all of the momentum heading into Game 4

The Minnesota Timberwolves were leading the Memphis Grizzlies by 26 points at one point during Game 3 of their best-of-seven series. They went on to lose that game, on their home floor, to a Memphis team that looked dead in the water on multiple occasions this evening. While there is still plenty of basketball left to be played before this series is decided, you have to imagine that all of the momentum is on the side of the Grizzlies heading into Game 4 this weekend. 

Ja Morant did not have his best night by any stretch but his supporting cast, namely Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke, stepped up in a big way to help the Grizzlies pull off one of the best comebacks in playoff history. Minnesota will have a chance to bounce back in Game 4 but, based on this result, Memphis should be very confident heading into this weekend's game at Target Center.

Here are three takeaways following Thursday night's game. 

1. A comeback for the ages

This isn't exactly a "takeaway," per se, but we just witnessed one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history, and we should take a moment to quantify what exactly we witnessed. Here are some historical markers the Grizzlies hit by overcoming a 26-point deficit:

• It was the biggest playoff comeback in Grizzlies history.
• It was tied for the biggest comeback in Grizzlies team history, regular or postseason.
• It was tied for the fourth-biggest comeback in playoff history with the 2002 Celtics and 2017 Cavaliers.
• It was just the 32nd time in NBA history that any team overcame a 26-point deficit.

What made this comeback so special, though, is that the Grizzlies essentially pulled it off twice. Minnesota opened the game on a 12-0 run and got the lead to 26 in the second quarter. However, Memphis fought back and closed the first half on a 15-0 run. That had the deficit at seven at halftime, but the Timberwolves proceeded to go on a 28-10 run to push the lead back up to 25. When Memphis came back, it needed a 21-0 run to knot things up. From that moment on, Memphis outscored Minnesota 21-12 to win the game.

If the Timberwolves can take solace in anything, it's this: teams that blow enormous leads don't always lose the series in which those leads were blown. Those 2002 Celtics? They may have overcome a 26-point deficit to win a single game against the Nets, but they lost the series. The Clippers own the biggest comeback in playoff history thanks their 31-point turnaround against the Warriors in 2019… and they lost as well. This series doesn't have to be over. If the Timberwolves can pull themselves together, they can still tie this thing at home in Game 4. It's just going to mean playing a complete game instead of allowing the messy set of runs that dominated Game 3.

2. So... we have to talk about Karl

Karl-Anthony Towns was wonderful in Game 1 of this series, scoring 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting with 13 rebounds. His other three postseason games this season?

• Play-in vs. Clippers: 11 points, 3-of-11 shooting, six fouls
• Game 2 vs. Grizzlies: 15 points, 4-of-7 shooting, five fouls
• Game 3 vs. Grizzlies: 8 points, 3-of-4 shooting, five fouls

When Towns last played in the playoffs in 2018, he averaged a relatively meager 15.2 points on 47 percent shooting against the Houston Rockets. That team had Clint Capela, but was fairly small and spent plenty of minutes with P.J. Tucker at center. The Grizzlies haven't gone quite so small in this series, but it's worth noting that Steven Adams played 24 minutes in Game 1 and has played just three ever since. Jaren Jackson Jr. is largely playing center when he's in the game, and Brandon Clarke and Xavier Tillman are also getting run there as well.

Jackson, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, is largely equipped to defend Towns when he's on the floor, but, like Towns, has fouling issues. He played just 21 minutes in Game 3 for that reason. A scorer of Towns' caliber should be able to generate offense against Tillman and Clarke. That he hasn't been able to is concerning. At a bare minimum, the Wolves have to find a way to maximize Towns as, in his own words, "the greatest big man shooter of all time." If he can drag some of these already smaller Grizzlies away from the basket, he can at least make life easier for teammates. Thus far in this series, he really hasn't done that yet. He has to assert himself more in Game 4 if Minnesota is going to have a chance here.

3. The value of playoff depth

Depth, as a roster-building priority, is often looked down upon from a playoff perspective. The thinking goes that once a team gets down to must-win games, its rotation tends to be whittled down to seven or eight players anyway, so what's the use in having a dozen that you can actually use? It's great in the regular season, and the Grizzlies proved that. They went 20-5 without Ja Morant this season largely because of the overwhelming number of playable pieces on their bench.

But one of the other major virtues of depth is versatility. The Grizzlies started Steven Adams all year. When they figured out that he wasn't going to be a fit in this particular matchup, they had multiple alternatives they could turn to. Xavier Tillman was essential in the Game 2 win. Brandon Clarke was perhaps the best all-around Grizzly in Game 3. His 20 points and eight rebounds were critical in making up for Jackson's foul trouble.

That versatility extends across the entire roster. Dillon Brooks is 7-of-25 in his past two games. He tends to run a bit hot and cold. If Memphis wants to sub in DeAnthony Melton or Ziaire Williams or even go big again with Kyle Anderson playing some small forward, that open is available to them. The bulk of their total minutes went to six players on Thursday, but the Grizzlies have significantly more optionality in who those players are than the Timberwolves. Chris Finch doesn't have an obvious card to play here, and that's the scariest part of this 2-1 deficit for Minnesota.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 10:03 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

That'll do it here in Minnesota. Grizzlies 104, Timberwolves 95. Grizzlies lead the series 2-1.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 10:02 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Morant with the biggest block of the night! It was totally unnecessary but incredible to watch. The capper of the night.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 10:01 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Memphis is just toying with Minnesota now. Morant's layup pushes the lead up to 12.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 10:00 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

It took Brooks six ties, but his first 3 was the biggest of the night.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 10:00 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Who else but Brandon Clarke? His save gets Dillon Brooks the ball for a 3-pointer that pushes their lead to 10. This building is SILENT.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:59 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Towns travels and the meltdown is nearly complete. 

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:58 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Clarke cleans it up! Grizzlies by seven!

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:58 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Block by Jaren!

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:58 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Clarke with the floater. That's his favorite shot and the Grizzlies lead 97-92.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:58 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Minnesota gets two back at the line, but they're running out of time.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:56 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Clarke makes both after Morant misses his. 95-90 Memphis.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:56 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Morant misses both but Minnesota fouls. onthe rebound. The Timberwolves are killing themselves in the fourth quarter.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:51 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Towns with the two-pointers and boy, did Minnesota need that. It's 93-90.

[Apr 21, 2022 at 9:51 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

WOW. You will not see many turnovers like that. Morant misses his own layup, and in the frantic race to save the ball, he accidentally kicks it out of bounds.