The Minnesota Timberwolves turned what looked like a lost night at Target Center into pure chaos and a season-defining win, storming back from a 13-point deficit in overtime to beat the Houston Rockets 110-108 on Wednesday. Minnesota closed the extra period on a 15-0 run, capped when Terrence Shannon Jr. blew up Houston’s final inbound pass in the closing seconds. Along the way came whistles, an ejection, and a late injury scare that turned a regular-season game into something closer to a playoff thriller.
According to the Star Tribune, Naz Reid was ejected in overtime after arguing with referee Scott Foster, and Rudy Gobert had already fouled out in regulation. The Star Tribune also reported that Ayo Dosunmu did not play because of right-calf soreness, with coach Chris Finch saying he "doesn't sense it's overly serious." Mike Conley started in Dosunmu's place, a lineup tweak Finch made after recent rotations.
Box score and leaders
Alperen Şengün carried Houston with a game-high 30 points, while Jaden McDaniels led Minnesota with 25, and Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 17 off the bench. According to StatMuse, McDaniels shot 10-for-17 from the field, and Gobert hauled in 14 rebounds, numbers that help explain how the game swung back and forth before the Wolves finally seized control in overtime.
How the rally unfolded
DiVincenzo drilled a 3-pointer with 1:34 left in overtime to spark the comeback, and after another Wolves stop, Julius Randle buried a midrange jumper with 8.8 seconds remaining to put Minnesota on the brink of a win. Kevin Durant was fouled with 3.3 seconds to play and made the first free throw but missed the second, and Shannon’s disruption of the ensuing inbound pass sealed it, according to the Star Tribune. The comeback, the largest overtime rally since play-by-play records are available, flipped the playoff chase in a matter of minutes.
What it means
The win nudged Minnesota 1.5 games ahead of Houston for the Western Conference's fifth playoff spot, according to the NBA standings, and both teams are headed for a rematch on April 10 in Houston, per The Playoffs. With the regular season winding down, that date now looms large for seeding and momentum.
Minnesota will keep an eye on McDaniels after he left late in the fourth quarter. The StatMuse box score shows he logged 37 minutes and did not appear in overtime, which suggests he exited before the extra period. If the Wolves can stay reasonably healthy and bottle even a fraction of the belief that comes from a 15-0 overtime blitz, they will hit the final stretch convinced they can hang on to, or even improve, their spot in the Western Conference race.
