It was far from pretty, but the Timberwolves clawed back from 18 points down and got the go-ahead three-pointer from Naz Reid with 13 seconds left to beat the Clippers 109-106 Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Minnesota trailed by 18 points in the first half before trimming 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 to go.
Then the Wolves went cold, allowing the Clippers to score seven straight and tie the game at 102-102. Mike Conley’s free throws gave the Wolves a two-point lead, but Bogdan Bogdanovic tied at 104-104 with a jumper with 31 seconds to go. That set the stage for Reid’s heroics.
After Jaden McDaniels’ missed a mid-range shot, the Wolves grabbed the offensive board and moved the ball until Anthony Edwards passed up a chance to be the hero to find Reid alone in the corner for the winning three.
“Just a bunch of effort plays,” Reid said of the game-winning possession on the FanDuel Sports North postgame show.
“Slow start, but those hustle plays and intensity plays,” Reid continued. “Can’t lose when those things are in your favor.”
McDaniels led the Wolves with 27 points (10 of 13 shooting), 12 of them coming in the third quarter.
Julius Randle scored 27 points and Reid had 19 points off the bench, which was critical on a night when Edwards had just 15 points on 3 of 11 shooting.
The Wolves have won five straight games to get to 15-8 overall. They’re back in action Monday at home against the Suns. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed on Peacock.
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