The Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves just had the most roller coaster-like game of the season. The Rockets managed to blow up a 13-point overtime lead to eventually lose 108-110 to the Timberwolves, who did not have Anthony Edwards even available to play.
Moreover, Naz Reid had been ejected, and Rudy Gobert fouled out at the beginning of overtime. This looked like an easy win for Houston at one point after coming back from an 11-point deficit with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
But instead of going strong with the momentum, they managed to throw away multiple careless possessions down the stretch, and eventually, when the game was on the line, Kevin Durant missed both free throws that could have tied the game.
The Timberwolves’ 15-0 run with 2:50 left in overtime made this the biggest comeback in overtime in the play-by-play era. After the game, the veteran superstar Kevin Durant spoke to the media and expressed his thoughts on the team’s performance.
“Missed shots to be honest, not knocking down shots and turning the ball over,” said Durant on what went wrong in the late-game execution.
“Late in the game, if we don’t make a shot, teams can be more aggressive and be in the paint. That can cause more turnovers, deflections, and all of that stuff. They got comfortable sitting out in the paint for us, and they got the W. Like I said, we missed some open looks most of the night.”
“Then I turned it over six times and missed that free throw. I really believe we lost because I missed that free throw, and I turned it over six times, to be honest.”
“There were plenty of times I went up there thinking somebody was open, I’m trying to pass when I should have shot the ball. That’s it, and I’ve got to make the free throws at the end.”
The veteran superstar started the game slowly but eventually caught rhythm in the clutch. Durant finished the game with 30 points, three rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 9-22 from the floor (40.9 FG%) and 2-5 from beyond the arc (40.0 3P%). He was 10-10 at the free-throw line before missing a clutch attempt that forced him to miss another one.
The Rockets have now fallen to 43-29 for the season, and look like they’re slipping away in the fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs. They are currently 3.5 games behind the Lakers, who are in the third seed, followed by the Nuggets (2.0 games behind) and the Timberwolves (1.5 games behind).
With just 10 games left in the season, the margin for error remains very thin for the Rockets if they want to secure a fourth seed or above. They are now headed to Memphis on Friday to face the Grizzlies before closing out their road trip in New Orleans on Sunday, March 29.
