After three quarters in front of a very loud crowd at Target Center on Friday night, in a game of runs, the Timberwolves finished the third quarter on a 15-6 tear to push their lead, just three at halftime, to 10 entering the fourth quarter.
A gut reaction: Oh, no.
Or, conversely: The Grizzlies had the Wolves right where they wanted them.
Recent history taught a hard lesson: The Wolves led by 25 with 15 minutes left in Game 3 and lost. Tuesday in Memphis in Game 5, the Wolves led by 11 with 6:58 left in the game.
And lost.
So Friday, when the Grizzlies opened the fourth quarter with consecutive three-pointers the sellout crowd grew quiet.
With reason.
In a six-game, first-round NBA playoff series in which the Wolves led most of the time, they lost another double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to a second-seeded Grizzlies team that ended the series with a 114-106 victory.
"This team, to overcome plenty of shaky moments throughout this series?" Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. "It's just resiliency. There are different ways to win in the NBA. And in the NBA a playoffs, for that matter."
It was the same old story as Memphis became the only team in playoff history to win three games in a series in which they trailed by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter.
The Wolves offense slowed down. Memphis turned offensive rebounds into points. Players like Dillon Brooks (23 points), Desmond Bane (23) and Jaren Jackson (18 points and 14 rebounds) did the bulk of the scoring. Brandon Clarke, who came off the bench for 17 points and 11 rebounds, was a one-man shot of adrenaline. And Minnesota native Tyus Jones scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial three late that put the Grizzlies up four with 1:09 left.
"We're used to the moment," Brooks said when asked how the Grizzlies outplayed the Wolves in the fourth quarter of all but one game. "We've been here before. Last year with Utah, we were trying to figure out a way to win with each other. I feel like we figured it out. I wish we got better starts. But we're always going to find a way to fight."
It went like this:
Jackson, Jr. pulled Memphis within three with 7:42 left.
Jones hit a 12-footer with 7:02 left to make it three again. The Wolves were slowing on offense, the Grizzlies just warming up.
With 5:16 left, Brooks hit a second-chance three to tie the score.
With 3:46 left, Towns blocked Morant. The ball made its way to Clarke, who was fouled by Towns. He made one of two free throws and it was a one-point Wolves lead.
At the other end, Towns missed a two-pointer. Then Bane hit a three-pointer with 3:04 left to put Memphis up.
The Grizzlies never trailed again.
Jones' three with 1:09 left made it a four-point game.
The legacy of this series is that the Wolves matched up well with Memphis. They built lead after lead. But Memphis kept coming back.
Friday it was a 40-22 fourth quarter for Memphis, which will have a short turnaround before hosting Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals starting Sunday.
The Wolves will have an offseason to ponder the same thing, from a different perspective, losing in a must-win elimination game in which Ja Morant was held relatively in check.
Memphis just never gave up.
"You play for 48 minutes," Jenkins said. "Our guys just turned it on."
