Key Grizzlies players returned, igniting a fourth-quarter surge, but couldn't overcome the Timberwolves' star power in a hard-fought loss.
The Memphis Grizzlies got Ty Jerome and Cedric Coward back Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Memphis still lost 117-110, but both players made their presence felt on a night the Grizzlies needed every healthy body they could get.
Jerome returned after missing two games with a left thigh injury, starting and playing 24 minutes. He finished with 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting, going 2-for-6 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line with two assists and a steal. Minnesota's switching defense limited his usual rhythm, but Jerome kept attacking and played through it. It was his second straight game exceeding the 20-minute mark after working back from the thigh issue.
Coward returned from a right knee injury off the bench and played 21 minutes, finishing with 15 points on 4-for-8 shooting and 5-for-5 from the free throw line with two rebounds, a steal, and a block. Ten of those points came in the fourth quarter as part of a 12-1 Grizzlies run that pulled Memphis within four with 20 seconds left.
Anthony Edwards answered with two free throws to put it away. He finished with 41 points, seven made 3-pointers, and five steals. Julius Randle added 23 points, 17 after halftime, once Rudy Gobert worked out of first-half foul trouble and Minnesota took over the paint.
Memphis led by 11 in the first half before a 16-5 third-quarter run from the Timberwolves flipped it. The Grizzlies never led again. Santi Aldama, who had been listed as potentially available before tipoff, was a late scratch with right knee injury management, which left Memphis without its best frontcourt option against a Minnesota team built to punish smaller lineups. Gobert and Randle combined for 46 points and were a consistent problem in the second half.
The loss dropped Memphis to 23-37 on a road trip that also includes stops in Boston, Toronto, Atlanta, and Portland before the Grizzlies return home.
Jerome is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game across nine starts since joining Memphis. He shoots 87.8% from the free throw line this season, which keeps him dangerous in the half court even when his jumper isn't falling. That free throw rate also ranked among the best in the league last season when he finished as a Sixth Man of the Year finalist with Cleveland.
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Coward, the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists across 49 games this season. His 84.9% free throw rate ranks among the best for rookies in the league. The 22-year-old out of Washington State has established himself as one of the more productive first-year players in the NBA this season, and Tuesday's fourth-quarter performance was another reminder of what Memphis has in him long term.
Memphis hosts Portland on Wednesday at FedExForum to close out a back-to-back.