Timberwolves changed defense, slowed Morant down to even series
D’angelo Russell reached to foul Ja Morant on a dunk but struck him hard across the face. Morant fell hard to the floor at the Target Center on Saturday night and took a while to get up.
Russell was given a flagrant-1 foul but it signaled how the Minnesota Timberwolves were playing Morant. Challenge every drive and make it difficult for the Memphis Grizzlies All-star point guard to score.
The Timberwolves used the formula to near perfection in winning 119-118 on Saturday to tie their first-round playoff series at 2-2. Morant scored 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting and had just eight points in the paint, nearly half of his Nba-leading average (16.6) this season.
“They are as Ja goes and we did a good job of putting our bodies in his way,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said.
The Timberwolves first used that strategy in Game 3 as Morant saw multiple defenders whenever he drove to the basket. It repeated in Game 4 Saturday and as a result, Morant struggled scoring and became a facilitator with a career-high 15 assists, which also set a Grizzlies single-game playoff record.
Morant had 16 paint points in Game 1 but in the past two games, he’s had 16 paint points combined on 8-for-26 shooting. He hasn’t countered well outside the paint as he’s taken just five non-paint shots - all 3-pointers - in Games 3 and 4 and made only one.
Finch noted the Timberwolves also kept Morant off the free-throw line. Since taking 20 free-throw attempts in Game 1, Morant has just 17 since. He took only three free throws Saturday, the fewest he’s had since taking none on Jan. 29 against the Washington Wizards.
“He’s one of the best leapers in the NBA and he’s one of the best finishers, too. We’re just making it really difficult for him to get a good look at the rim and also not feel any opposition at the rim, too,” Timberwolves center Karl-anthony Towns said. “Just making sure every time he gets into the paint, we’re throwing bodies at him and he has to finish over a tall defender and with contact as well.”
The Grizzlies are still dominating the paint but without Morant setting the tone, they’ve been robbed of their best weapons. Morant’s scoring has dropped in every game and he’s taken a beating on falls after missed layups.
“Every time I come off (a screen), I’m seeing three bodies,” Morant said. “They just throwing the whole team for it. Only thing I can do after that is just make the right play.”
With Game 5 at the Fedexfroum in Memphis on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., TNT/ Bally Sports Southeast), the Timberwolves won’t change their plan. How Morant adjusts will factor in deciding who goes up 3-2 with a potential series clincher in Minneapolis.
For now, the Timberwolves succeeded in making him work harder for his points and it’s put the Grizzlies back on their heels.
“I don’t know if (Morant is) frustrated or not but we’ve done a tremendous job trying to keep him under control,” Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said.