Towns roars: Minnesota makes it 2-2. The Memphis coach: “Arrogant and disastrous referees”

Champions are not measured by the games that fail, but by how they react to empty passes. Karl-Anthony Towns reacts like a champion to the disaster in Game-3, part of the reason for the resounding collapse of Minnesota. “I came here to do my job, to take advantage of the chance to be great” he says after a show of 33 points and 14 rebounds with which he dragged the Wolves to a hard-fought 119-118 that knocks out Memphis and draws the series at 2-2. . On Tuesday in race-5 in the city of Elvis, Ja Morant will be the champion called to react to a negative game: the Memphis star was unrecognizable in attack and weak link in defense, with Wolves aiming to put him in difficulty, almost always finding the way to get to the iron. The Grizzlies need him to be special to win: Morant struggled to be in his two games in Minneapolis.

Redemption

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It was not easy for Minnesota to recover after the shock of the sensational double comeback costing Game-3. “We have been good all year at reacting to bad matches, I had no doubts that we would do it again” says coach Finch. Towns, aggressive from the start, was the spark that sparked the Wolves. “He was angry and focused since the tap-off – says his star’s coach -. We needed a great match from him, his anger and his aggression were an example for the teammates as well ”. Towns tore the defense of Memphis to pieces, with coach Jenkins struggling to find the right solution to contain him and also in game-4 he rotated all his centers, this time without finding the right one. KAT was the best but he wasn’t the only one from Minnesota to shine: Pat Beverley continues to be the soul of this team, a constant thorn in Morant’s side but also capable of making a valuable contribution in attack. Well Anthony Edwards, inflamed in the second half after the scare of the pain in his right knee in the first half (24 points at the end), precious D’Angelo Russell in organizing the attack and Jordan McLaughlin with 16 points off the bench (“It was the mvp of the match “Towns crowned him). Minnesota continues to make mistakes as a youth, but it is evident that it has figured out the right way to put Memphis in trouble.

“Arrogant arbitrage”

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Coach Jenkins has a clear theory as to why Memphis lost. “We must certainly play better, but this was one of the worst refereed matches I have ever witnessed – thunders the Grizzlies coach -. It’s embarrassing, I’m speechless: I’ve never seen a direct race with so much arrogance and so much inconsistency. And now I’m ready for the fine ”. Memphis has had trouble with fouls practically from the first quarter with all of his starters, with Jenkins forced to review the rotation several times. But the Grizzlies have made many mistakes. Starting with Morant: he finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 15 assists, he missed 9 of the 13 shots taken, he never managed to sink to the iron, to show that explosiveness that made him an All Star. Desmond Bane tried to make the Morant closing with 34 points (8 triples per target, the only one in the playoff history with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to have made so many), but without his star the Grizzlies have never found that guide they had. need. The defense on Towns continues to be a serious problem: Jenkins has excluded Steven Adams from the series to try to better contain the Wolves star, but without the Aquaman double in the basket Memphis has lost a point of reference that he is now struggling to replace.

The match

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Entertainment and balance from the beginning, with Towns on one side and Bane on the other endured more effective offensive terminals. Minnesota reaches the interval ahead 60-56 after 8 changes in command, but in the second half manages to extend up to 74-61 which Beverley signs from the line at 8’10 “from the third siren. Edwards lights up (13 points in the period), but Memphis finds good things from Clarke and closes the hole, returning twice to -1 in the fourth period despite Towns returning to hurt. Minnesota seems to have the game in hand when Russell makes 115-108 at 1’27 “from the end, but the Grizzlies try another sensational comeback: Jones at 9” from the end misses the triple in the open field of 115-115. With a little effort, the Wolves manage to close it. Tuesday in Memphis starts again from 2-2.

Minnesota:Towns 33 (5/8 of two, 3/5 of three, 14/17 free throws), Edwards 24, Beverley 17. Rebounds: Towns 14. Assists: Russell 7.

Memphis:Bane 34 (3/6, 8/12, 4/5 tl), Brooks 24, Clarke 15. Rebounds: Morant 8. Assists: Morant 15.