NBA: Minnesota stuns Memphis 90-89

MINNEAPOLIS - Ricky Rubio scored the final five points of the game, including a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining, lifting the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 90-89 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Target Center on Friday.
The win marked the first time the Timberwolves won back-to-back games this season. It also snapped the Grizzlies’ eight-game winning streak.
Minnesota trailed by six with just over a minute left before guard Andrew Wiggins made a pair of free throws to make it an 89-85 game. After a miss on the other end, forward Thaddeus Young hustled to get an offensive rebound, feeding Rubio for a 3-pointer from the right elbow to make it a one-point game with 34 seconds left.
After Rubio swiped the ball from forward Zach Randolph, drawing a foul in the process, Rubio drained both free throws for the lead.
After two timeouts, another Rubio steal iced the game.
Playing in his third game back after missing nearly three months with an ankle injury, Rubio finished with 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Earlier in the quarter, Rubio finished with a fast-break layup. After crashing to the floor, Rubio grabbed at his left ankle and hobbled off the floor to the locker room. He returned to the game a few minutes later to a standing ovation from the crowd. Rubio missed 46 games with a left ankle injury, returning to action on Monday.
All five Timberwolves starters finished in double figures, led by Wiggins’ 18 points. Young finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Tied at 43 at the half, Minnesota started the second half on a 10-3 run, capping the stretch on Rubio’s step-back three, giving the Timberwolves a 53-46 lead.
But the Grizzlies countered by scoring eight of the next 10 points, taking the lead 40 seconds later on back-to-back buckets by guards Courtney Lee and Mike Conley.
A 16-foot jumper from the corner by center Marc Gasol gave Memphis its largest lead of the game to that point at 65-59 with just under three to play in the quarter. The Grizzlies led by four heading to the final quarter.
A layup by center Nikola Pekovic gave the Timberwolves their largest lead of the night at 37-27 with 8:18 left in the second quarter. But the bucket was the last over a four-plus minute span as the Grizzlies went on a 10-0 run to tie the score.
Conley, Gasol and forward Jeff Green each led Memphis with 15 points. Lee finished with 14. Randolph had six points and 10 rebounds.
NOTES: Memphis is off to its best start in franchise history at 37-12. ... Since acquiring F Jeff Green from the Boston Celtics on Jan. 12, Memphis is 11-1. ... The Timberwolves signed G Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day contract. Brown is averaging 4.0 points in four games with Minnesota this season. ... Timberwolves F Shabazz Muhammad was not available Friday. Muhammad has missed the past 15 games with a strained abdominal but could return as soon as Monday. ... The Grizzlies return home Sunday to play the Atlanta Hawks. The Timberwolves hit the road Sunday to face the Detroit Pistons.