It was far from pretty, but the Timberwolves rallied from 18 points down and hit Naz Reid’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to beat the Clippers 109-106 on Saturday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Minnesota trailed by 18 points in the first half before cutting the deficit to 78-72 entering the fourth quarter, when they turned on the jets and outscored Los Angeles 37-28, including a 21-12 run that gave the Wolves a 102-93 lead with 3:56 left.
Then the Wolves cooled off, allowing the Clippers to score seven in a row and tie the game at 102-102. Mike Conley’s free throws gave the Wolves a two-point lead, but Bogdan Bogdanovic tied it at 104-104 with a jumper with 31 seconds left. That set the stage for Reid’s heroics.
After Jaden McDaniels missed a mid-range shot, the Wolves grabbed the offensive backboard and moved the ball until Anthony Edwards passed up a chance to be the hero by finding Reid alone in the corner for the winning three.
“There were just a lot of effort plays,” Reid said of the game-winning possession on FanDuel Sports North’s postgame show.
“Slow start, but those hustle plays and intensity,” Reid continued. “You can’t lose when those things are in your favor.”
McDaniels led the Wolves with 27 points (10-of-13 shooting), 12 of them in the third quarter.
Julius Randle scored 27 points and Reid scored 19 points off the bench, which was crucial on a night in which Edwards scored just 15 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
The Wolves have won five straight games to get to 15-8 overall. They will return to action Monday at home against the Suns. The game starts at 6:30 pm CT and will be broadcast on Peacock.
