VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 5 -- Chris King hit a putback at the overtime buzzer Sunday night to lift the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies to their second straight win, a 100-98 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Byron Scott drove the lane and launched a shot that bounced off the backboard.
King grabbed the rebound and put it home as the buzzer sounded, sending General Motors Place into a frenzy. Not since the Chicago Bulls joined the league in 1966 has an expansion franchise won its first two outings. Scott scored 18 points and Greg Anthony added 17 for Vancouver, which won at Portland on Friday night and was playing its first home game. The Grizzlies erased a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. Christian Laettner scored 26 points to lead the Timberwolves, including a three-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation that gave Minnesota an 88-88 tie. Laettner and Terry Porter made two free throws apiece to erase a 98-94 overtime deficit. After a mostly tight first quarter in which the biggest lead was five points, the Grizzlies saw their poise slip midway in the second when the Timberwolves went on a 17-2 run with 5:20 left. The Timberwolves led 53-42 at halftime, but coach Bill Blair soon saw the lead slowly evaporate in the next quarter. Then a Timberwolves turnover led to a crowd-pleasing jam from Grizzlies forward Antonio Harvey that put some serious bite back into the home team two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies outscored the Timberwolves 26-12 in the final period.
