MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns slammed his way to 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who toughed out a 113-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night to move one step closer to a long-sought spot in the playoffs.

Jeff Teague added 24 points and Jimmy Butler scored 15 points for the Timberwolves, who trailed by 10 points early before taking over against a depleted Grizzlies team that beat them 101-93 exactly two weeks ago in one of their worst losses of the season. Towns had five dunks to help ignite the crowd.

Ben McLemore had 18 points for the Grizzlies, who moved one loss closer to a prime lottery pick.

The Wolves entered the evening with more than just payback on the agenda. They had the opportunity to secure their first appearance in the playoffs since Kevin Garnett was patrolling the post with Latrell Sprewell as a wing man and Sam Cassell running the offense in 2004.

The checklist for the clinch included a win over the Grizzlies and victories by San Antonio and Portland, with the Spurs hosting the Sacramento Kings and the Blazers visiting the Denver Nuggets in games that began later.