Grizzlies struggle at home against tough Minnesota

With Jonas Valanciunas coming off a 41-minute outing in the Grizzlies’ Friday night loss at Orlando, J.B. Bickerstaff planned to unleash Joakim Noah on the Minnesota Timberwolves and their star center Karl-anthony Towns on Saturday night.

Noah sat out Friday night’s game to get some rest, and with Memphis needing a jolt after a gut-wrenching defeat just 24 hours before, Noah was positioned to provide it.

“I think that’s going to be important in tonight’s game,” Bickerstaff said beforehand.

But when Noah left the game with a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return, the Grizzlies collapsed.

The Timberwolves outscored Memphis 35-18 in the third quarter after Noah’s exit on the way to a 112-99 win at Fedexforum behind a strong performance from Towns.

It was the fourth loss in five games for the Grizzlies (29-44), who are trying to remain competitive in the season’s final weeks amid mounting injuries.

For the Timberwolves (33-40), the win snapped a five-game losing streak as they grapple with their own spat of injuries.

Big names: Towns and Andrew Wiggins paced Minnesota. Wiggins scored 22 while Towns racked up a game-high 33 points and 23 rebounds.

His pair of 3-pointers from the top of the key in the final five minutes each gave Minnesota a 15-point lead and ended the Grizzlies’ rally attempts.

Mike Conley, who is on the verge of reclaiming his spot as the franchise’s all-time scoring leader, led the Grizzlies with 23 points. Jonas Valanciunas contributed 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Notable: Yuta Watanabe played for the first time since Feb. 7, which was the day the Grizzlies traded four players, including Marc Gasol. Watanabe has been a key player for the Memphis Hustle during the team’s run to the G-league playoffs. He played the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter and went 0for-2 from the field.

Quotable: “The versatility always helps. Today’s NBA is about having skill on the floor ... put the ball in the basket, be able to dribble the ball, be able to pass the ball and both of them are solid defensively. They give you versatility with who they can play with.” — Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff on the versatility of guards Tyler Dorsey and Delon Wright.

Up next: The Grizzlies host the Thunder on Monday at 7 p.m. in the third and final meeting between the teams. Oklahoma City won the first two contests.

Tv/radio: Fox Sports Southeast/92.9 FM

Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Davidwcobb.