The Minnesota Timberwolves had plenty of extreme positives to take home from their 110-108 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets. It came after a maverick performance from Jaden McDaniels, who in the absence of Anthony Edwards was the Timberwolves’ main scorer, finishing with 25 points with 10-17 shooting.
However, McDaniels was also forced to come off late in the fourth quarter after what was initially suspected to be a knee injury. Post-game, the 25-year-old forward had a reassuring update for fans, per a post on X by Chris Hine.
“I really just kind of cramped a little bit, but I'll be all right next game,” he said.
McDaniels was hence not only Minnesota’s top scorer, he also expects to be fit for their next game, which is against Eastern Conference leaders, the Detroit Pistons. With Anthony Edwards unavailable and Ayo Dosunmu ruled out pregame, McDaniels operated as the primary scoring option for large stretches of the game against the Rockets.
However, the highlights came in overtime. The Timberwolves closed on a 15-0 run to secure a 110-108 win, the largest comeback in overtime in the play-by-play era after trailing 108-95 with just over three minutes remaining.
The run followed Houston scoring on its first six possessions of overtime, creating a 13-point cushion before Minnesota responded by scoring on six straight possessions of their own. That was expected to kill off the game. Instead, it invited a barrage from the Wolves.
Julius Randle (24 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) delivered the decisive basket with 8.8 seconds left, while Donte DiVincenzo (17 points, 5-of-12 from three) and Mike Conley also delivered late three-pointers. Rudy Gobert added 14 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, while Naz Reid contributed 14 points and 13 boards. After McDaniels exited late in the fourth quarter, Gobert fouled out at the end of regulation while Reid was ejected early in overtime, making for a resounding win where the Wolves fought through considerable adversity.
For the Rockets, both Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun had 30 points each, with the former also producing eight assists. Jabari Smith Jr. finished with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
