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Gasol sends Grizzlies out on high note

Apr 19, 2007 - 4:46 AM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Something had to give in a game between the resistable force and the movable object.

Pau Gasol recorded 25 points and 16 rebounds and Tarence Kinsey added 22 points as the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-94, in a battle of two of the worst teams in the league.

Gasol notched his third straight double-double for the Grizzlies, who won three consecutive games for the first time this season.

"It is always positive to finish up the season with a win, especially as bad as it was for us," Gasol said. "We take that as a positive. We fought hard until the very last game. We should be proud of that. We have guys that kept playing hard."

Rookie guard Randy Foye scored a career-high 26 points and Ricky Davis tallied 23 for Minnesota, which finished the season with seven straight losses.

"We should be disappointed. I am disappointed. I think everybody in that locker room should be disappointed," Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said. "Last Sunday, we were in Golden State and you look and they have 39 wins and we have 32 wins after 80 games and that's still close. That should make you even more depressed. You're seven games out of the playoffs after all the (garbage) that we've (been) through.

"Who does that hurt? That's the question we have to answer as individuals. That should hurt all of us. If it doesn't, we (have) to find guys that it does hurt."

Hakim Warrick scored 18 points and Chucky Atkins dished out a season-high 16 assists for Memphis (22-60).

The loss assures that Minnesota (32-50) will keep its lottery pick as a result of the Sam Cassell-Marko Jaric trade two years ago, a draft selection they would have surrendered to the Clippers had they not finished with a top-10 choice.

"I think we need to make changes," Wittman said. "The roster is unbalanced a bit. We don't have bigs that can guard bigs. A lot of different things need to be done. We have to find guys that are caring for one another, that are playing for one another. I just don't think we have that mix together right now."

Nursing 62-57 lead early in the third quarter, the Grizzlies went on a 19-6 run to take an 81-63 lead. Kinsey scored six points in the spurt.

The Timberwolves would get no closer than 12 points the remainder of the game.