The Minnesota Timberwolves became the second team since 2002-03 to come back down 16 or more with 3:45 left in the quarter. They did against the No. 1 seed in the West on a back-to-back, led by an amalgamation of role players, who each had some of the biggest moments of their seasons. They also did it with their star player injured on the bench and missing three starters.
All this prompted a post-game interview with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels, arm in arm.
“One game at a time, that’s all it is,” said Alexander-Walker, Minnesota’s voice of reason. “Focus on the next one. We got this one done.”
“Them boys, aye,” Edwards interrupts. “Them boys keep playing like that, man. We’re going to be hard to beat.”
Lea B. Olsen then turns the mic to a grinning McDaniels, who finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds and arguably was the key to the comeback.
“I don’t got nothing, beat L.A., that’s all,” McDaniels says, turning away from the camera.
Minnesota’s odds of winning were dwindling with 4:30 left in the second game of a home-and-home back-to-back against the Thunder. The Wolves were down 117-105, trying to claw back from a 25-point deficit on the road. Desperation seemed to sink in as Edwards heaved a step-back three-point attempt.
Clang (Mike Breen voice).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the rebound and scored two on the other end, 119-105. That forced Chris Finch to call a timeout with 4:14 remaining. He drew up a play in his last attempt to galvanize his troops.
Luguentz Dort stripped Edwards of the ball out of the timeout, leading to a Jalen Williams layup. The Thunder led 121-105 with 3:55 to go.
Then the unthinkable happened. During Terrence Shannon Jr.’s trip to the line, Edwards headed to the bench in exchange for McDaniels. It was later reported that Edwards was dealing with a calf injury. However, absent context, the lineup change was jarring. The short-handed Wolves appeared to be waving the white flag.
That is, until the bench players rallied. Shannon hit both free throws. On the next Wolves possession, Alexander-Walker headed to the line and did the same. 30 seconds later, Naz Reid drilled a step-back three, 121-112, with 2:17 left.
Tick tick tick tick tick (Chris Berman voice).
Reid hits a layup after another Wolves stop. The camera pans to the bench, and Edwards is screaming in support of his teammates. The Wolves get another stop, and Rob Dillingham knives in for a layup. Thunder lead 121-116 with 1:17 left.
Minnesota gets another stop, and it’s McDaniels turn. He drills both free throws after a foul. The camera pans again to the Wolves bench, and Edwards is cheering harder than anyone for Minnesota’s unlikely turnaround.
Another Wolves stop leads to Finch’s timeout with 34 seconds to go, with Oklahoma City leading 121-118. 23 seconds later, McDaniels hits a layup with a foul off a Dillingham assist. He heads to the line and drills the free throw. The Wolves get another stop, and a unit led by McDaniels as the only Wolves starter completes the 16-point comeback to force overtime.
The Wolves and Thunder exchange blows in overtime. The game went back and forth. Minnesota and Oklahoma City exchanged a one-point lead until finally, with 1:48 to go in overtime, Edwards checked back in. According to Finch, the medical staff cleared him to return. After cheering on the comeback from the sidelines during the entire fourth-quarter surge, Edwards immediately impacted the game.
However, not in ways fans may expect.
Edwards calmly passed out of a trap double team in his first possession. On the next, Edwards drew attention. Instead of heaving a step-back dagger three, he found Reid, who got fouled after McDaniels stole the ball back from the Thunder. A possession later, he drew Oklahoma City’s attention before moving the ball. His only overtime shot was a three-point heave after Dort blocked Reid.
A refocused Edwards helped the Wolves take a 129-128 lead with 22 seconds left, prompting a Thunder timeout. Out of the timeout, Gilgeous-Alexander exploded to the rim and rose up for a layup. However, it was Edwards’s turn to have a moment. He rose up in help defense and blocked the shot off the backboard cleanly, leading to Shannon’s rebound.
The Thunder fouled Alexander-Walker, and it was his moment to seal the game in the arena where his cousin, Gilgeous-Alexander, dominates. With a few deep breaths, Alexander-Walker hit the game-sealing free throws, and Oklahoma City’s last-second three clanked off the rim.
131-128, final.
Time doesn’t stop in the NBA, so the Wolves must refocus for a matchup against the Luka Doncic and LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in L.A.
Last weekend, I asked McDaniels what the plan was for that matchup.
“I don’t know which one I’m going to guard, but it’s going to be weird,” he said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
After the win over the Thunder, the Wolves might not need to know the plan. If role players continue to step up and the bench continues to shine, this could be the turnaround win that sparks something special.
