MEMPHIS – The Timberwolves said all the right things ahead of Tuesday's 124-96 blowout at the hands of Memphis.
How they weren't satisfied with just winning Game 1, how they would be ready for a turbocharged Grizzlies team to amp up the intensity and make adjustments.
It was all just talk.
The Grizzlies back up their talk and responded like a No. 2 seed should while all of the Wolves' warts were on display.
Everything the Wolves did right on Saturday – control the glass, hit from outside, Karl-Anthony Towns keeping himself out of foul trouble – they couldn't do Tuesday at all or until it was too late.
The series is now tied 1-1 with Game 3 on Thursday in Minneapolis. Ja Morant continued to dazzle with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, and could have had more had a brief injury scare not sidelined him in the third quarter.
After a foul-plagued first-quarter for both teams, the night shifted in Memphis' favor during the second quarter when the Grizzlies attacked the offensive glass and opened up their first double-digit lead of the series.
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins kept starter Steven Adams on his bench for all but three minutes after Adams struggled guarding Towns. Jenkins productive minutes from his bench, especially Xavier Tillman, who helped ignite a second burst that put Memphis ahead for good. In that second quarter, the Grizzlies had nine second-chance points and held Minnesota to just 17 points. Tillman finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Wolves' offense lacked the crispness and flow it had in the opening game. Anthony Edwards eventually got going and scored 20 points, but most of that damage didn't come until the Wolves were already down 27 in the third quarter.
Towns picked up three fouls by halftime – his third coming on an unnecessary kick-out on a three-pointer.
Memphis led 60-49 at the half, but the break did nothing to settle down the Wolves, who looked disheveled at best in the third quarter and overmatched at the worst. Memphis got what it wanted at the rim and hit 11 three-pointers on the night, matching the Wolves.
That marked trimmed a three-point gap the Grizzlies talked about tightening between them and the Wolves. Jaren Jackson Jr., who played at the five with Adams out, did his best Towns impression by hitting 4-for-7 from three-point range for 16 points
Towns had to watch from the bench as Jackson hit a pair of threes to put Memphis ahead 24 early in the fourth and officially squash the Wolves' last remaining hopes.
The only issue for Memphis was a brief injury scare to Morant, who appeared to hurt his left thigh coming around a screen. He left for the locker room but returned in the fourth.
Towns finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds while D'Angelo Russell again struggled from the field with 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting.
The Wolves are going to need more out their maximum-contract point guard if they want to win the series. Russell is 5-for-22 through two games.
One player who typified the difference between games for the Wolves was Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels was pivotal in Game 1 with 15 points, seven rebounds and exemplary defense off the bench. In Game 2, McDaniels had two points and was 1-for-7 and didn't come close on three of his four three-point attempts.
The Wolves were never close to getting Game 2 at all.
