MEMPHIS (NBA.com exclusive) --  Despite having just one win apiece, the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves each saw Saturday night's game as a chance to put an end to their respective losing streaks.

At 1-8, the Grizzlies were owners of a seven-game losing streak, while the 1-9 Timberwolves had dropped nine in a row. For the Grizzlies, the third quarter usually has been their undoing. But against the Timberwolves, they managed to build a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, a lead they built on as they came away with a 97-87 win in front of 10,019 at FedExForum.

"It was a big win for us,'' Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. ``We lost seven in a row, in every which kind of way. This was a team that was struggling like us, which meant that there was an opportunity for one or the other to come away with a win tonight.''

It was a win the Grizzlies said they needed badly in order to start feeling good about themselves again. Despite their losing ways, along with the distraction of Allen Iverson, who remains in Atlanta tending to personal business, the young Grizzlies have managed to keep the right frame of mind, which has been encouraging to Hollins.

But Hollins realized that at some point, wins were gong to be needed to reinforce what he has been teaching them in practice.

"When you're working with trying to instill a certain way with the team, you have to get wins sometimes so that they believe in the system, and in themselves,'' Hollins said. "I told them at practice that we were in a pit and needed to scratch and claw our way out of it. Well, we had to scratch and claw tonight.''

Second-year guard O.J. Mayo said it's time now for the Grizzlies to start a new kind of streak - a winning one.

"Why not?'' he said. "We've got one more at home. We played good tonight, good enough to win. We'll come back Wednesday against the Clippers. We played them tough at their place on the last (road game) of five of seven. We get a few days off to get some energy and get another win and keep building on it.''

It was the Timberwolves, playing without Al Jefferson (personal reasons) and Kevin Love (broken hand), that came out as if they were about to rediscover the feeling of winning. Minnesota scored on seven of its first nine shot attempts to build a 15-7 lead. But a 12-2 run, sparked by the energy of rookie Sam Young off the bench, enabled the Grizzlies to take their first lead of the game at 19-17.

For the remainder of the half, neither team managed to lead by more than four points. They headed into the locker rooms knotted at 45.

Ryan Gomes scored the first two baskets of the second half for Minnesota as the Grizzlies appeared headed for yet another disastrous third quarter. They had won just one third quarter this season, and had been outscored by at least seven points in the third period in six of their nine games. But this time they outscored the Timberwolves 23-18 to lead 68-63 heading into the fourth.

"We really needed to have a lot of energy,'' Mayo said. "They kind of scared me at first, I think they scored on their first three possessions. But we did a good job of bouncing back. We had some fastbreak points to get some easy buckets, and we made some stops.''

The Grizzlies converted three three-point plays in the midst of a 15-6 run to start the fourth quarter as they built an 83-69 lead, their biggest of the game. Minnesota pulled to within 87-80, but the Grizzlies re-focused and held on for the win.

The Grizzlies got 19 points apiece from Mayo and Rudy Gay, while center Marc Gasol chipped in with 17 on 8-for-8 shooting, while tying a career-high with 16 rebounds. Young had a career-high 15 points.

"Now that we've got the feeling back of what it takes to win games, we've got to try to mimic that every night,'' point guard Mike Conley said. ``We've got to come out and be able to play the second half like we do the first half. We normally play very well coming out the gate. If we do that, we have a chance to get a lot of wins here.''

Corey Brewer had 16 for the Timberwolves, who also got 15 each from Gomes and Ryan Hollins. First-year Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said his team is also trying to learn what it takes to win.

"Part of it is understanding that even though they are talented ballplayers, things they do correctly allows them to have success not only as individuals, but as a team as well,'' Rambis said. "I'm trying to educate the guys so that they can become better players individually.''

After taking Sunday off, the Grizzlies will have two days to work in newly signed free-agent point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who signed a one-year contract with the team prior to Saturday's game. Tinsley, a 31-year-old veteran who has not played since the 2007-08 season, will compete with Conley for the starting position.

Conley, who had 10 points and seven assists, said he's used to it after dealing with Iverson, who complained over not starting the three games in his return from a hamstring injury.

"I've heard it all this year, people coming in at my position,'' Conley said. "So it's not any different. I'm just going out and trying to make things better. (Tinsley's) a veteran guy. He's been around the league and he's been on a lot of winning teams. I've known him for awhile so it's kind of cool to have him on the team.''