The Nets had a chance to cut their magic number to one.
But the only magic they came up with was making a double-digit lead disappear.
Brooklyn lost 107-102 to Minnesota before a sellout crowd of 17,893 at Barclays Center, a game that could prove costly.
Their lead for the sixth and final playoff spot is down to a single game.
Spencer Dinwiddie poured in a game-high 30 points and added six assists, getting into the lane at will.
Mikal Bridges added 24 points, but had an uncharacteristically inefficient night, shooting just 9 of 24 overall and 1 of 5 from deep.
It was Dinwiddie who knotted it at 100-all with 1:23 left, but his missed ensuing free throw proved costly.
Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points, 14 rebounds) continued getting position inside.
He got fouled and sank both free throws to put the Timberwolves back up 102-100 with a minute in regulation.
Edwards doubled the lead with 19 seconds left. Dinwiddie halved it with a finger roll, but down 105-102 with just 3.9 he had a 3-point attempt blocked by Anthony Edwards.
That essentially sealed the defeat.
“Well, obviously we know we need a couple more wins to lock up the sixth seed. So that’s something that we’re not shy about talking about,” Dinwiddie said before the game. “But other than that, though, it’s still the same growth-process type of mentality.
“Our focus is completely turned to Minnesota and getting a win, paying attention to detail, the scouting report and all that other stuff. And we know we control our own destiny. I think that’s the main thing about it.”
The Nets (43-35) came into the evening knowing they could clinch no worse than the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a win and a Miami loss.
But the seventh-place Heat beat Detroit 118-105 Tuesday, with the Nets traveling to face those same Pistons on Wednesday night. With three games left, the Nets lead the Heat by just one, though they own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Edwards finished with a team-high 23 points, while Towns proved too much to handle inside.
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The Nets dug themselves into a 31-24 hole after a first quarter that saw them shooting just 7 of 24 from the floor, or 29.2 percent.
But as has been their wont of late, it was their defense that sparked their offense.
Still trailing 41-36 after a Towns finger roll with 6:26 left in the half, the Nets held Minnesota scoreless for nearly four minutes.
Dorian Finney-Smith provided solid defense fronting Gobert.
Then Royce O’Neale stripping college roommate Taurean Prince and hitting Finney-Smith for a left-corner 3-pointer that put the Nets ahead 42-41.
Another Finney-Smith 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run and gave the Nets a 47-41 lead with 3:34 left in the half.
They forced three straight misses and three turnovers before Towns broke the drought with 2:41 in the half.
The Nets — clinging to a three-point edge at the break — opened the third quarter with six unanswered points.
Dinwiddie holding his ground and putting an arm bar on the 266-pound Gobert forced a turnover and created a fast-break dunk for Bridges.
The Nets led 60-51 with 9:20 left in the third, before the cushion reached 11.
But the Nets couldn’t protect it. Prince, a former Net, drilled a left-wing 3-pointer to put Minnesota back in front 69-68 with 2:35 in the period.
It was tied at 91-all on Joe Harris’ cutting layup with 6:51 to play, but Prince came back to haunt his old team again when New Jersey native Kyle Anderson found him for a layup.
Bridges earned a pair of free throws, but hit just one, leaving the Nets down 93-92. But Dinwiddie found Finney-Smith for a 3-pointer put them back up with 4:06 left.
Edwards responded with a 3 of his own, and Towns hit a midrange jumper.
Dinwiddie pulled the Nets even with a 3-pointer.
