The Timberwolves got a huge win and a lot of confidence in Game 3

The Minnesota Timberwolves hadn’t played a playoff game at home in 14 years. There was added incentive for them, not just to put on a show for their hometown fans, but to avoid falling into the fateful 0-3 series deficit against the Rockets in the first round.

But nobody could have expected what happened in Game 3 on Saturday night. The Wolves blasted the Rockets, 121-105, in their most impressive game of the series. They scored 50 points in the paint, outscored the Rockets by 11 in transition and made 15 of 26 three-point attempts. Minnesota was hitting on all cylinders; it was exactly the kind of game they needed to have if they were going to stand a chance against the league-best Rockets.

Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins combined for 68 points on better than 50 percent shooting apiece. Derrick Rose turned back the clock for 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns had easily his best game of the series with 18 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.

After Houston took Games 1 and 2, many wrote Minnesota off as out of the first round in five games or fewer. Technically, a five-game series isn’t off the table just yet, but the way the Timberwolves played Game 3, this one just might go the distance.

Minnesota played with more emotion on Saturday than any of their first two games. Rose played a big part in it: He scored 10 points in nine minutes when he first checked into the game in the second quarter. That was the kind of night each of the Wolves were having. Towns, who only took nine shots in each of Games 1 and 2, got 13 attempts in Game 3 but was visibly more active and energized on both ends. Teague was an absolute bulldog, attacking off the dribble with decent success. And Butler was a force on and off the ball all game long.

Minnesota dominated Houston from end to end. The Wolves got stops defensively and found buckets all across the roster. It was a game that should leave the Timberwolves oozing with confidence when they return to the Target Center for Game 4.

The Rockets probably won’t come out as flat the next time around. James Harden finished with 29 points on 9-of-21 shooting, but Houston didn’t have the flare we’re accustomed to seeing. The Rockets probably want to wrap this one up at home in Game 5. They’ll have to win the next one for that to be possible.

But for now, the Wolves handled business, and that one win could go a long way. Minnesota should be smelling themselves just a little bit. They got their first playoff victory in over a decade. If they can ride this momentum, there’s no telling how long this series will go.