Severely short-handed Wolves rally from 15-point deficit to beat Trail Blazers

The Minnesota Timberwolves weren't exactly dealt the best hand.

They were playing their third game in four nights and down Anthony Edwards (hip) and Mike Conley (finger) in addition to still being without Julius Randle (groin) and Donte DiVincenzo (toe). And not only were the Wolves severely short-handed, they were playing one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the Portland Trail Blazers. A schedule loss if there ever was one.

Despite all that adversity — and a poor shooting night from 3-point range and the free-throw line — the Wolves managed to overcome a 15-point deficit and beat the Trail Blazers 114-98 Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.

"Proud of the guys. One of my favorite wins of the year, no doubt about it," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "Everybody played well, came in and fought. Even when we couldn't score and things were going against us, I liked the spirit of the team. And another really lockdown fourth quarter."

The Wolves (30-23) dominated the Trail Blazers (23-30) in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 38-14. Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels were the drivers of the comeback. Reid scored 10 of his 23 points in the final frame, and McDaniels scored 10 of his game- and career-high 30 points in the third quarter when Minnesota started chopping down the deficit.

McDaniels scored the 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and he also added 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal. He only attempted one 3 — a miss — and had just a single turnover. It was an incredibly efficient and aggressive performance.

"I was really just taking what the defense gives me," McDaniels said. "I was going under screens, and I was just using my touch."

The deficit was gone midway through the fourth quarter and it suddenly flipped into a double-digit lead with just over two minutes remaining when a steal from Reid led to a transition layup for McDaniels. The Wolves left everything out there.

Without Edwards and Conley, Rob Dillingham made the first start of his young career. He struggled early, missing several 3-pointers in the first couple minutes of the first quarter, but he eventually settled in and finished with eight points and six assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker started in place of Edwards and finished with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds.

"(Dillingham) really recovered from a tough start," Finch said. "I was happy for that. He kind of game out super aggressive to try to get himself going, which we need him to do. And then when we put him back in in the fourth, we just needed a couple minutes of defense from him, and he found that."

Jaylen Clark, who wasn't in the rotation just a week ago, served as the team's sixth man Saturday night. He proved again to be a defensive stalwart, including a key steal in the stretch run of the fourth quarter that turned into a transition dunk for Alexander-Walker on the other end for a 100-93 lead. He finished with 11 points, making a key 3 during the comeback.

Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Anfernee Simons led Portland with 21 points.

It was an incredibly impressive win from a team that had everything going against it.