Timberwolves Stun Rockets in Overtime Thriller With a Comeback That Felt Impossible 110-108
For long stretches Wednesday night, it looked like the Timberwolves had run out of bodies, answers, and maybe even luck.
They were short-handed. Anthony Edwards was out. Naz Reid was gone after an ejection. Rudy Gobert fouled out. Jaden McDaniels, after delivering one of his sharpest two-way performances of the season, exited with an apparent leg injury. Against a Houston team powered by Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, Minnesota looked cooked more than once.
And then the Timberwolves did something that good teams do when logic stops helping: they kept fighting.
Minnesota erased a 13-point deficit in overtime and slammed the door with a stunning 15-0 finishing run, beating the Rockets 110-108 in a game that felt over until it suddenly was not. Julius Randle delivered the go-ahead jumper with 8.8 seconds left, capping one of the wildest finishes Target Center has seen in a long time.
This was not just a win for the Timberwolves. It was a gut-check win. The kind players remember in April.
Timberwolves Show Grit in a Game That Kept Swinging
The Timberwolves had control late in regulation. They were up 11 with about 3 and a half minutes to play, and the game looked like it was tilting their way behind balanced scoring, active defense, and timely shot-making.
Then Houston punched back.
Durant and Sengun took over late in the fourth, fueling a 13-2 run that wiped away Minnesota’s cushion and forced overtime. From there, things got even messier for the Timberwolves. The Rockets opened OT with a 13-0 burst. Minnesota could not buy a bucket, the crowd got tense, and the scoreboard looked cruel.
That should have been the dagger.
Instead, the Timberwolves answered with the final 15 points of the game.
No panic. No folding. Just possession after possession of desperate, disciplined basketball.
That is what made this one special.
Julius Randle Delivers When the Timberwolves Needed Him Most
Randle finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but the box score does not fully explain his night. He scored all 24 of his points after halftime, and when Minnesota needed a closer, he became one.
His biggest moment came with 8.8 seconds left in overtime, when he knocked down the go-ahead jumper that finally gave the Timberwolves the lead after chasing Houston all through the extra period. It was the kind of shot that changes the tone of a locker room. Calm. Tough. Timely.
Randle has had stretches this season where his offensive rhythm has carried Minnesota, especially with Edwards sidelined. This was one of those nights where his patience mattered as much as his scoring. He did not force the game early. He let it come to him. Then, when the Timberwolves were hanging by a thread, he grabbed it.
Jaden McDaniels and the Supporting Cast Keep Minnesota Alive
Before leaving with an apparent leg injury, McDaniels gave the Timberwolves 25 points, plus two steals and two blocks. He was everywhere. Cutting, finishing, disrupting, competing. It was the kind of all-court performance that reminded everyone why Minnesota trusts him in big moments.
Gobert added 14 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks before fouling out. Reid posted 14 points and 13 rebounds before his ejection. Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 17 points. Bones Hyland added eight assists and continued to steady the offense in key stretches.
And then there was Terrence Shannon Jr., who did not play in regulation but checked in during overtime and finished a plus-9 in a blink. That kind of number does not always tell the whole story, but in a game like this, it tells enough. Energy matters. Activity matters. Belief matters.
The Timberwolves did not win because everything looked polished. They won because enough players gave them something when it mattered.
Rockets Stars Shine, But Timberwolves Finish Stronger
Houston got 30 points from Sengun and 30 more from Durant, who also added eight assists. For stretches, the Rockets looked like the more composed team. They hit free throws, controlled tempo in key moments, and had the kind of late-game shot creation that usually travels well.
Durant also moved past Dirk Nowitzki for eighth on the NBA’s all-time regular-season field goals made list, another reminder that even in Year 18, he is still one of the cleanest scorers the game has ever seen.
But for all Houston did right, the ending will sting.
A 13-0 run to open overtime should win you the game. Almost every time, it does. The Rockets had the Timberwolves on the ropes and could not land the final blow. Missed chances, turnovers, and a complete offensive freeze let Minnesota back into it. Against a team as resilient as the Timberwolves, that is all it takes.
Why This Timberwolves Win Matters
This was not just another regular-season result.
The Timberwolves, now 45-28, stayed within striking distance in the Western Conference playoff race and again proved they are more than a one-man operation. They have now shown, repeatedly, that even without Edwards, they can find enough toughness and structure to beat quality teams.
That matters. Especially this time of year.
Every team talks about resilience. Not every team gets a night that proves it. The Timberwolves got that on Wednesday.
They were missing key players. They lost more during the game. They blew a lead in regulation. They fell behind by 13 in overtime. Most teams would have accepted the loss and moved on.
Minnesota did not.
The Timberwolves kept defending. Kept scrapping. Kept believing there was still one run left in them.
Turns out, there were 15 points left.
And in a season where playoff positioning can shift by the night, this comeback may end up meaning more than two numbers in the standings. It felt like a reminder of who the Timberwolves are when the game gets ugly: tough, stubborn, and very much alive.
