Anthony Edwards made a key 3-pointer with 23.2 seconds left to complete a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-112 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday.
The Timberwolves ended the game with a 23-6 run, which included two 3-pointers each from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid, and Edwards’ three-point play with 1:31 left, cutting the Rockets’ lead to 110-108. Julius Randle followed up with a dunk, and then Edwards hit a pull-up 3-pointer to erase a 106-90 deficit with 4:57 remaining.
Edwards scored 24 points in the game. Randle had 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Donte DiVincenzo added 22 points, while Alexander-Walker and Reid combined for 25 points, all coming off the bench.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with a season-high 38 points but missed two crucial free throws in the last 69 seconds. Sengun also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Amen Thompson posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Fred VanVleet added 18 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, and he, along with Sengun, helped the Rockets take control in the third quarter.
Houston was without Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Tari Eason (leg) and had its four-game winning streak snapped. Thompson’s two dunks and two 3-pointers by Jabari Smith Jr. sparked a 12-2 run early in the fourth quarter, putting the Rockets up by double digits.
Edwards had a strong first quarter, scoring 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. His coast-to-coast layup at the buzzer gave the Timberwolves a 22-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. Despite committing six turnovers, Minnesota shot just 3-for-11 in the opening period.
Randle and DiVincenzo came alive in the second quarter, with Randle leading a 10-2 run that gave the Timberwolves a 39-32 lead with five points. DiVincenzo added a corner 3-pointer to make it 45-36, with Edwards, DiVincenzo, and Randle all scoring 13 points.
The Rockets responded with an 8-0 run, closing the gap to 52-50, and despite shooting just 4-for-14 from 3-point range, they trailed by only five points at halftime.
