The forces were against the Minnesota Timberwolves when taking on the Houston Rockets. But it wasn’t just as they had key players injured. The Wolves were nearly broken by referee Scott Foster in overtime against the Rockets. But the team managed to overcome an egregious ejection for Naz Reid with a historic comeback. And then came the variety of gut shots to Foster.

Julius Randle pointed right to Foster after the Wolves secured possession at the end of overtime. Just moments ago, he ejected Naz Reid. All he did was argue Sengun was moving while drawing a charge. “Stop that s—t bro, he’s moving,” Reid appeared to say to either the other official or Anthony Edwards. Foster still made it about himself and ejected Reid just for showing some emotions against a call he didn’t agree with.

The Timberwolves couldn’t believe the call. But they didn’t let the Rockets pull away. They wanted to make a statement and pull one over Scott Foster. The response was historic. Houston scored the first 13 points in overtime. Reid was gone, Ruy Gobert fouled out before OT, and the Wolves’ best scorer on the night, Jaden McDaniels, was forced off with an injury.

What followed was an effort fueled by injustice. The Timberwolves scored 15 straight to win. It was the largest comeback in overtime in NBA history. After the game, the Wolves locker room spoke out against Scott Foster. According to Dane Moore, players said, “That s—t didn’t work, Scott Foster,” as they went towards the locker room.

They weren’t just going to go over the official, nearly destroying the game for the Timberwolves, for no justified reason. Foster is often at the center of controversy. Retired point guard Chris Paul has even revealed that the referee carried personal grudges against him. The Timberwolves almost felt the same way. They refused to allow that to slide.

Julius Randle showed all his experience, hitting the nail in the coffin in overtime to secure an enthralling win.

The Rockets shoot themselves in the foot… again

There’s nothing to take away from the Minnesota Timberwolves. They battled through adverse situations to still emerge victorious. They put up a Herculean effort to get the job done. On the other end, though, the Houston Rockets crumbled once again. They still can’t solve the same problems.

They scored 13 unanswered points. Before that, they did all the hard work to toil away at an 11-point deficit. The Rockets set themselves up to get a win filled with character. The mess that followed left everyone clueless. Houston missed four straight shots and turned the ball over twice. The Wolves’ response was efficient. Six shots. 15 points. Game over.

The Rockets were so blown away that the most unexpected things happened. Kevin Durant was spotless since the fourth quarter. However, he missed the first of two free throws that could have helped force a second overtime. The second was an intentional miss. Those were the only times the Rockets missed from the charity stripe.

But here’s to the repetitive mistakes. The Rockets committed 20 turnovers while having just 26 assists. They were also a poor three-point shooting team, making just nine, while shooting 31% from beyond the arc. The team doesn’t lack cohesion, but of late seems to have lost a grip on its identity.

The Rockets are now 19-22 in clutch games this season. Their abrupt breakdowns come at a time when the postseason is right around the corner. They have a plethora of talent to be a damning force during the playoffs. However, it’s essential for them to clear their heads in such situations.

It’s only going to get tougher from here. And the Rockets just hit rock bottom.