Timberwolves shock the Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Anthony Edwards was glad to get a victory in the first playoff game of his career.
Now, he and the rest of the Minnesota Timberwolves, want much more.
Edwards scored 36 points in his postseason debut, and the seventhseeded Timberwolves stunned the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies 130-117 on Saturday to grab home-court advantage in the opener of their firstround Western Conference series.
“Putting on another show,” said Edwards, the top overall pick in the 2020 draft.
“That’s it. Putting on another show and impact winning.”
All-Star center KarlAnthony Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds. Malik Beasley had 23 points, and Jaden McDaniels 15. Patrick Beverley and D’Angelo Russell had 10 apiece.
The Timberwolves, fresh off beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in game, won their first playoff opener since 2004. That’s when they beat Denver in the first round on their way to the Western Conference finals.
Towns said it was a good feeling walking off with a confidence-building win.
“We did a lot of little things that are needed to win,” Towns said.
“We should be very proud of our performance.”
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Memphis.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 32 points and eight assists, and Dillon Brooks added 24 points. Brandon Clarke had 13 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Desmond Bane scored 17 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. 12.
“I feel like most of the stuff was on us,“Morant said. “That’s why we lost.”
Memphis tied the franchise record by winning 56 games in the regular season and earning its highest seed ever. The Grizzlies had a packed FedExForum for only their third Game 1 in Memphis. But they struggled early after a week off and led only twice by two, the last midway through the second quarter.
“We tried our best to stay ready, but it’s been a minute since we played,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
“But we have to come out ready to go. We didn’t in the first quarter, and we paid for it.”
76ERS 131, RAPTORS 111
Tyrese Maxey had the breakout game of his young career, scoring 21 of his playoff career-high 38 points in the third quarter to lead host Philadelphia in Game 1.
James Harden had 22 points and 14 assists in his first Eastern Conference playoff game as a Sixer. Joel Embiid, the NBA scoring champion, had 19 points and 15 rebounds. They combined to only make 11 of 32 shots from the floor.
WARRIORS 123 NUGGETS 107
Jordan Poole shined in his long-awaited playoff debut with 30 points, staying in the starting lineup as Stephen Curry returned from a foot injury by coming off the bench, and host Golden State smothered Nikola Jokic to beat Denver.
Healthy at last, Klay Thompson returned to the playoff stage for the first time in nearly three years and scored 19 points with five 3-pointers, and the perimeter combination of Curry, Poole and Thompson was too much.
Jokic had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, facing stifling defense in the paint from Draymond Green and Kevon Looney while shooting 12 for 25.
Game 2 in the best-ofseven series is Monday night at Chase Center — which hosted its first playoff game since opening in fall 2019. Fans received black T-shirts reading “Gold Blooded.”