The Minnesota Timberwolves might have just recorded the win of the season.
The T-Wolves completed an unprecedented comeback on Wednesday, erasing a 13-point comeback in overtime to stun the Houston Rockets while short-handed. The Rockets scored the first 13 points overtime, then Minnesota scored 15 unanswered points in front of a raucous Target Center crowd.
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Per Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press, they are the first team of the NBA play-by-play era (since 1996-97) to overcome a 13-point overtime deficit.
The Rockets scored on the first six possessions of overtime to take a 108-95 lead with 3:01 remaining, then the Timberwolves scored on the next six possessions. Julius Randle capped things off with a fadeaway jumper.
Minnesota was without star Anthony Edwards and key reserve Ayo Dosunmu to start the game. Then Jaden McDaniels exited with an apparent injury in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert fouled out at the end of regulation and Naz Reid got Scott Foster’d a minute into overtime.
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The former Sixth Man of the Year was ejected by the notorious official for something he said about a questionable replay decision involving Alperen Şengün.
With Edwards out, McDaniels led the Timberwolves in scoring with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, while Randle had 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Gobert and Reid combined for 27 rebounds.
“We’re built for the moment. Simple as that,” Randle said after the game.
It’s hard to think of a comeback more shocking than winning after being down 13 in the span of three minutes while missing five rotation players. And it’s hard to think of a loss more disheartening than what the Rockets just did, especially with the team in search of momentum in a month where they are currently 5-6.
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Had the Timberwolves lost, the Rockets would have leapfrogged them for fifth place in the Western Conference and won the season series. Instead, they remain in fifth at 45-28 and can take the tiebreaker with a win in Houston on April 10.