The Memphis Grizzlies again didn’t have a point guard available.

Ja Morant was out after leaving the Dec. 15 game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a left ankle sprain. Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. haven’t played this season because of injuries, and Javon Small hasn’t played in weeks.

So if there was ever a time for Memphis — on the road and against the Minnesota Timberwolves — to bring out its grit, this was it.

And that’s what it did.

The performance wasn’t pretty, but defense, rebounding and toughness powered the Grizzlies in a clutch 116-110 win over the Timberwolves on Dec. 17 at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Grizzlies (13-14) shot 43.8% from the field and held Minnesota (17-10) to 39.8% shooting. Suddenly, they are one win from being back to .500 after starting 4-11. They will get the chance on Dec. 20, when they play the Washington Wizards at FedExForum (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).

Here is how Memphis pulled off its latest win.

Jaren Jackson Jr. gets first double-double

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s assertiveness ticked up on Dec. 15 against the Clippers, and he carried that energy into Minnesota.

The Timberwolves have an aggressive and physical frontcourt. Rudy Gobert is one of the best defenders of his era, and Jaden McDaniels is in the upper echelon of NBA perimeter defenders. When adding in Julius Randle, the trio combined for five blocks and five steals against Memphis.

None of that deterred Jackson. He finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.

After going five consecutive games with less than 15 points, Jackson has put together his two highest-scoring games of the season in back-to-back performances.

“Jaren’s been in his spots for a while now and that’s why we’re like, it’s just a matter of time of when he gets going, and got it going against the Clippers, now playing with a lot of confidence,” Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “I think our spacing around him and also getting him into those actions has been better, the spacing has been better and we’ve been getting more dynamically into those actions.”

Jock Landale shows off versatility

Jackson had his first double-double of the season, and so did backup center Jock Landale, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while battling against Gobert and Naz Reid.

Gobert is mostly comfortable in the paint, so having a center capable of knocking down 3-pointers can be helpful in that matchup. When Gobert got too caught up in protecting the rim, Landale was often left open and dared to make a shot. As a result, he knocked down four 3-pointers on nine attempts.

“It was cool,” Landale said. “Just tryna make the right play and if I’m open, I’ll let it go, and if not I’ll kick it somewhere else, so I try not to overthink the game and my level of aggressiveness . . . I try to make the best of any opportunity that I get.”

Brandon Clarke makes season debut

Memphis big man Brandon Clarke made his season debut. A high grade PCL ended his previous season in March, and he had an arthroscopic procedure on the knee in September.

Clarke was immediately thrown in the starting lineup. He was on a minutes restriction, but he showed signs of the athletic player who was known to score points in a hurry while playing solid defense.

He finished with six points and three rebounds in 17 minutes. He has to knock some rust off, but he should become an impact player in a system that seems to fit his game.

“Oh, I felt good,” Clarke said. “Just glad to be back out there with my teammates, so I’m glad to win, glad to win here. You know, definitely have been a while that I’ve played, so I felt a little, like crazy, a little dizzy almost, but it was still fun though. I mean, I had a blast playing.”

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.