National Basketball Association
Houston 126, Minnesota 108
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials:
#51 Aaron Smith, #11 Derrick Collins, #4 Sean Wright
Attendance:
18978
By Field Level Media
Ryan Anderson buried four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets followed suit with a barrage from behind the arc in their 126-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at Target Center.
Anderson scored 12 of his 21 points in the final frame and was the ignition for a Rockets offense that hit 10 3-pointers in the fourth en route to a 42-point period. During one game-deciding stretch, the Rockets converted seven consecutive field goals from long range, turning a four-point lead into a 107-91 advantage. Houston extended its winning streak to nine games.
James Harden paced the Rockets with 34 points and 12 assists, drilling 6 of 10 treys like Anderson. Four others reached double figures in points for Houston, including center Clint Capela (14 points, 12 rebounds) and guard Chris Paul (13 points, eight boards, seven assists).
The Timberwolves lost at Target Center for the first time since Dec. 16, losing their 13-game home winning streak in the hail of Houston 3s. Minnesota dropped a home decision to a Western Conference foe for the just second time as the Rockets finished 22 of 47 from deep.
Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 35 points and 12 rebounds while Jeff Teague added 25 points and eight assists. However, starting forward Andrew Wiggins missed his first 12 shot attempts and the Timberwolves bench was outscored 48-14.
The Timberwolves failed to maintain the momentum of their early blitz. Following a pair of Jimmy Butler free throws, Minnesota led 27-14 and, while Houston missed 6 of 9 3-pointers and 3 of 5 free throws in the first period, the Rockets managed to maintain contact with two late 3s.
When Minnesota missed 10 of 11 shots to open the second quarter, the Rockets took advantage, turning a 17-3 run into a 40-34 lead on a Harden 3-pointer. Eric Gordon added a 3-pointer just over a minute later to extend the Houston lead to nine before Minnesota surged back.
The Timberwolves remained in dogged pursuit until Anderson caught fire in the fourth.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Houston |
|
Minnesota |
|
James Harden 34 |
Scoring |
Karl-Anthony Towns 35 |
|
James Harden 13 |
Assists |
Jeff Teague 8 |
|
Clint Capela 12 |
Rebounds |
Karl-Anthony Towns 12 |
|
James Harden 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Karl-Anthony Towns 9 |
|
Chris Paul 1 |
Steals |
Jamal Crawford 1 |
|
Clint Capela 1 |
Blocks |
Karl-Anthony Towns 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Houston
|
126 |
49.4 |
22-47 |
22-29 |
25 |
37 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
| Minnesota
|
108 |
47.6 |
6-23 |
22-23 |
22 |
40 |
4 |
3 |
9 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against L.A. Lakers. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .543 after a win and .640 after a loss.
-
Houston will play their next game at home against Sacramento. The Rockets have a W/L % of .833 after a win and .571 after a loss.
For more information, contact us