Ex-Wolves Help Bulls Give Minnesota a Gift Against the Rockets

In a tight playoff race, unexpected losses could be critical. Minnesota has had its fair share this season, and Houston had one of their own on Monday night.

Mar 18, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Leonard Miller (11) scores against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Monday night was a perfect night for the Timberwolves. While they were resting after winning Sunday in Boston, the Los Angeles Lakers had their nine-game win streak snapped, and the Houston Rockets lost a pivotal game to the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers losing at Detroit, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, isn't all that surprising. But Houston falling in Chicago is one that nobody saw coming. The Bulls are a bottom-feeder in the East and had lost 22 of 27 games dating back to Jan. 24.

The craziest part of the unexpected result was that Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson combined for 96 points — and they still lost. Clearly, the Timberwolves aren't the Western Conference contender not immune to fumbling against a team they should beat 95% of the time.

Ironically, Leonard Miller and Rob Dillingham, whom the Wolves traded to the Bulls for Ayo Dosunmu earlier this year, played big roles in the upset. Miller finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. He shot 7-of-11 overall, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. Dillingham had nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.

The loss by Houston (43-28) lifted Minnesota (44-28) into fifth place in the playoff race, a half-game ahead of the Rockets. The Wolves are tied with Denver (44-28), but the Nuggets have the 4-seed thanks to the tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are just two games in front of Minnesota and Denver for third place, while the San Antonio Spurs (54-18) and Oklahoma City Thunder (57-15) are outrunning the rest of the field for the top two seeds.

The stage is now set for a big battle Wednesday night in Minneapolis between the Wolves and Rockets. The game starts at roughly 8:40 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

It's a huge game for Minnesota because they have to beat Houston Wednesday night and again on April 10 to win the tiebreaker over the Rockets. A loss in either game would secure the tiebreaker for Houston. That's critical considering the Wolves have already lost tiebreakers to the Lakers and Nuggets.

Minnesota's win in Boston was a statement victory. They did it without Anthony Edwards, who remains sidelined with knee inflammation. Without him, they have to stay in the hunt for the third or fourth seed by winning games against big-time competition, including a tough one Saturday against the Pistons, and then a back-to-back on the road April 2-3 against the Pistons and 76ers.

Time is running out on the regular season, so thee's no room for missed opportunities like the Rockets had in Chicago.