The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered one of their most frustrating losses of the season on Friday night, letting a late lead slip away in a 114-113 defeat to the Phoenix Suns. Despite a dominant scoring performance from Anthony Edwards, Minnesota struggled to execute in the final minutes and failed to close out a game that was firmly within their control. The loss snapped momentum at a critical point in the schedule and highlighted the lingering issues that continue to haunt this team.
Edwards did everything he could to keep Minnesota afloat, finishing with 41 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals, and one block on 58.3 percent shooting and 45.5 percent from three. Julius Randle added 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal on 46.2 percent shooting and 28.6 percent shooting from three, while Jaden McDaniels chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and four steals on 41.7 percent shooting and 0-5 from three. Minnesota’s top trio combined for 74 points, but it was not enough to overcome costly mistakes in the closing stretch.
The Suns were down by 8 with 45 seconds left to the Timberwolves.
Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks had fouled out.
Somehow, they continued to fight and rallied back.
Collin Gillespie hits the game-winner and the entire building erupts. pic.twitter.com/yC3ry4LZwI
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) November 22, 2025
Phoenix delivered a balanced attack to steal the win despite being down by eight points with 45 seconds left. Dillon Brooks led the way with 22 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two steals on 47.1 percent shooting and 4-8 shooting from three. Royce O’Neale followed with 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 62.5 percent shooting and 50 percent from three, while Devin Booker added 16 points, three rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal despite shooting 22.2 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three. The Suns stayed within striking distance all night before capitalizing on Minnesota’s late collapse.
“Timberwolves dead*ss just put on a how to sell a game masterclass,” wrote one fan in disbelief.
It was a wild sequence of events that led to the final score. In the closing minutes, Edwards had a turnover, Julius Randle had two turnovers, and Edwards missed two free throws that could have won the game. Randle also missed a game-winner on the final possession. On top of it all, the Suns were without Booker and Brooks down the stretch, as both fouled out of the game.
“People are trying to say the Suns won with luck only. This is a disaster inflicted by the Timberwolves,” wrote one fan on X. “I mean what is that with that little play left?”
In the end, it was a disaster for the Wolves that not even the scoring greatness of Anthony Edwards could resolve. Clearly, this team has some big problems, and we saw that tonight in perhaps their most avoidable loss of the season.
“Minnesota just had one of the craziest collapses you will ever see. They were up 8 with 49 seconds to play,” wrote one fan. “Suns outscored Timberwolves 9-0 after that. Nothing like NBA basketball.”
For a Suns team with no expectations this year, this was a scrappy win that shows how far defense, focus, and determination can take you in this league. Despite being down big with less than a minute remaining, they never gave up and capitalized on mistakes to secure the comeback victory.
“They were talking too early and I love that,” said Brooks, via Duane Rankin. “When guys get too confident and once the pressure starts heating up, their eyes start getting big and they start getting scared. The person who was talking too much made the two turnovers and missed the shot.”
The Timberwolves will have to live with this one, and how they respond will say everything about their maturity as a team. Losses like this can either break a group or force it to tighten up and grow. For Minnesota, the path forward is simple. If they want to be taken seriously in the West, nights like this cannot happen again.
