Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

How Timberwolves altered history with improbable win

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 28, 2024 10:12 AM ET

The volume of three-pointers gives teams better odds of wiping off double-digit leads in the modern NBA. However, the Timberwolves achieved something Friday night that no team has pulled off in 20 years.

When Alperen Sengun made a bucket with 4:57 left in the fourth quarter, the Rockets took a commanding 106-90 lead. The game was all but over as fans at the Toyota Center began leaving for the exits.

Over the next 4:57, the Timberwolves would stunningly outscore the Rockets 23-7 to complete a 113-112 victory. The heroes of the comeback were Nickeil Alexander-Walker (six points), Naz Reid (nine points and Anthony Edwards (six points), who all made timely buckets while playing lockdown defense to get stops on the other end.

Despite their combined heroics, the Timberwolves were down 112-110 with 41.2 seconds left. That's when "Ant-Man" made the dagger three to complete one of the greatest comeback wins in NBA history.

ANTHONY EDWARDS STEPBACK 3 FOR THE WIN

Timberwolves end the game on a 20-4 run pic.twitter.com/82xrvCM5sq
— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2024

After the final buzzer, Edwards and Co. celebrated like they had just won the NBA championship. The celebration put into context the significance of what they had just achieved.

Anthony Edwards joyous celebration, WOW pic.twitter.com/XAYPJzJSIM
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) December 28, 2024

After the win, Edwards hilariously said he "don't do overtime" and wanted to ensure the Timberwolves won the game in regulation.

According to OptaStats, the Timberwolves pulled off a comeback that eluded 1,191 teams before them — in that exact scenario of going up against a team with a .700 record, such as the Rockets (21-10).

Over the last 20 NBA regular seasons, 1,192 times has a team been:

down by 15+ points
under 5:00 left in 4th quarter
on the road
facing a team with a .700+ win pct

That team lost the game in 1,191 of the 1,192 instances.

All except the @Timberwolves tonight. pic.twitter.com/7JvmL3To6n
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 28, 2024

Edwards' dagger came just 48 hours after he made a clutch shot in the Christmas Day victory over the Mavericks.

The Timberwolves (16-14) have been inconsistent all season. Perhaps the back-to-back wins will help steer them in the right direction. They will next host Victor Wembanyama's Spurs on Sunday.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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