National Basketball Association
Minnesota 124, Houston 106
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials:
#74 Curtis Blair, #81 Simone Jelks, #23 Tre Maddox
Attendance:
16079
By Field Level Media
Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell fueled an explosive season debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who rolled to a 124-106 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Towns paired 30 points (on 11-of-15 shooting) with 10 rebounds while Edwards chipped in 29 points while hitting six 3-pointers. Russell finished with 22 points and seven assists as Minnesota grabbed a first-quarter lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 35.
Christian Wood had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, who received a combined 20 points on 8-for-26 shooting from their youthful backcourt duo of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, the second overall pick of the 2021 draft. Eric Gordon added 15 points off the Houston bench.
The Rockets fashioned an 11-2 run to open the second half, a last-ditch effort capped by a Green floater. But the Timberwolves called timeout and quickly reclaimed control with an 18-3 burst that extended their lead to 92-59 with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter. Russell drilled four 3s during that stretch as the Timberwolves applied the knockout blow.
Minnesota seized control with a 10-0 run midway through the opening period, capitalizing on a slew of Houston turnovers. The Rockets committed three giveaways and missed all three of their shot attempts during that Timberwolves rally, and they closed the first period with eight turnovers.
After recording six fast-break points and a plus-11 rebounding margin in the first, the Timberwolves pulled away in the second with an 11-1 spurt that pushed the lead to 20 points. Towns had a pair of free throws, a hook shot and a block during that run while Edwards added two perimeter jumpers, and Minnesota extended that rally by closing the half on an 18-8 blitz.
Towns and Edwards combined for 45 points on 8-of-14 3-point shooting prior to the intermission as Minnesota carried a 72-45 lead into the locker room. While Gordon scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, the rest of the Rockets missed 23 of 36 shots.
Houston finished with 24 turnovers.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Houston |
|
Minnesota |
|
Christian Wood 16 |
Scoring |
Karl-Anthony Towns 30 |
|
Jalen Green 4 |
Assists |
D'Angelo Russell 7 |
|
Christian Wood 9 |
Rebounds |
Karl-Anthony Towns 10 |
|
Alperen Sengun 5 |
Free Throws Made |
D'Angelo Russell 6 |
|
Alperen Sengun 3 |
Steals |
Jaden McDaniels 4 |
|
Usman Garuba 2 |
Blocks |
Naz Reid 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Houston
|
106 |
45.5 |
11-33 |
15-22 |
21 |
41 |
3 |
13 |
24 |
| Minnesota
|
124 |
48.3 |
16-38 |
24-31 |
26 |
46 |
12 |
18 |
18 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
-
Houston will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Rockets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
For more information, contact us