Grizzlies rally back from a 26-point hole to beat Wolves

Desmond Bane made seven 3-pointers and had 26 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 26-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95 on Thursday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Brandon Clarke scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half for Memphis, and Ja Morant had a quiet triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Tyus Jones hit two dagger 3-pointers against his former team down the stretch, and the Grizzlies seized back home-court advantage. They stunned a Wolves team that won Game 1 on the road 130-117, but took an ugly 124-96 loss in Game 2. Game 4 is Saturday in Minneapolis. D'Angelo Russell had 22 points and eight assists as the key driver of a third-quarter surge for the Wolves that pushed the lead back to 23 points, but he went 0 for 3 and was scoreless in the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns had another clunker with eight points.

In this compelling matchup of Western Conference rivals with similar temperaments, fast-paced offenses and young star guards in Morant and Anthony Edwards, yet another game swung wildly back and forth between the two sides before the Grizzlies flashed their moxie for the largest comeback playoff victory in franchise history.

After taking a 47-21 lead early in the second quarter with a deafening roar in the 32-year-old downtown arena as the soundtrack, the Wolves were outscored 15-0 over the final 5:45 of the second quarter by a Grizzlies team that's been grappling with the same postseason inexperience and emotional immaturity.

BUCKS' MIDDLETON OUT WITH KNEE INJUR >> Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss at least two weeks after injuring his left knee Wednesday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls.

The Bucks announced that the threetime All-Star had undergone an MRI earlier and that they would offer their next status update on him in “approximately two weeks.”