The Minnesota Timberwolves nearly came away with the most incredible play of the NBA season at the end of the first half against the Houston Rockets on Friday.
In the final seconds of the half, Rockets guard Jalen Green drove to the basket, and the Minnesota defense collapsed on him to force a steal. Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels came up with the steal as he dove to the ground for the loose ball. While on the ground, McDaniels flipped the ball over his head to Nickeil Alexander-Walker who was on his way to the Wolves' basket.
The pass, understandably, was a bit too far ahead of Alexander-Walker, so he hurled it back to Jaylen Clark before stepping out of bounds. Clark immediately tapped the ball up toward the hoop, which dropped after rattling around the rim. There was a problem, though, as the shot came milliseconds too late. No basket.
The Timberwolves were .1 seconds away from making the craziest shot you’d see this season pic.twitter.com/9RDygKpM33
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) February 22, 2025
Timberwolves players simultaneously celebrated the play and circled their hands to beg for the play to get challenged. Anthony Edwards hugged McDaniels with a huge smile for the incredible effort. But the play still didn't count, as the ball left Clark's hand just a moment too late.
Houston ended up beating Minnesota 121-115, but the Wolves may have just had the play of the year, even if it never counted.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Timberwolves Ended First Half With Unbelievable Sequence But Just Missed the Buzzer.