National Basketball Association
Minnesota 111, Houston 98
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, February 17, 2012
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials:
#7 Kevin Fehr, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #14 Ed Malloy
Attendance:
16836
By SportsDirect Inc.
TIMBERWOLVES 111, ROCKETS 98: Kevin Love had 33 points and 17 rebounds as visiting Minnesota beat Houston for the third time this season.
Nikola Pekovic added a career-best 30 points and 12 boards as the Timberwolves' frontcourt duo eviscerated the Rockets to improve to 7-6 away from Minnesota. Pekovic also had three steals and three blocks.
Chandler Parsons led a balanced attack with 18 points for the Rockets, who were outrebounded by a 44-26 margin to fall to 1-1 on their six-game homestand. Courtney Lee and Kyle Lowry delivered 17 points apiece while Kevin Martin had 16.
The Timberwolves saw a 14-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to one thanks to a 15-2 Rockets run to open the frame. Lee, Lowry and Parsons all hit 3-pointers during the streak, which saw Minnesota turn the ball over five times.
Love responded with back-to-back 3-pointers - his only two of the game - to put Minnesota back up by seven, and he added a putback of a Pekovic miss to put the game away with 3:21 remaining.
Ricky Rubio was the only other Minnesota player to reach double figures, scoring 18 points and adding nine assists.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Timberwolves were just 5-36 on the road a season ago. ... Love has scored 30 or more points in four of his last five games. ... Parsons' six rebounds led the Rockets. No other Houston player had more than four.
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Houston |
|
Kevin Love 33 |
Scoring |
Chandler Parsons 18 |
|
Ricky Rubio 9 |
Assists |
Goran Dragic 6 |
|
Kevin Love 17 |
Rebounds |
Chandler Parsons 6 |
|
Kevin Love 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Kevin Martin 5 |
|
Nikola Pekovic 3 |
Steals |
Goran Dragic 2 |
|
Nikola Pekovic 3 |
Blocks |
Samuel Dalembert 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Minnesota
|
111 |
55.8 |
5-15 |
20-23 |
24 |
44 |
8 |
7 |
19 |
| Houston
|
98 |
47.1 |
10-20 |
8-10 |
20 |
26 |
4 |
9 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
Houston will play their next game at home against Utah. The Rockets have a W/L % of .529 after a win and .571 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .500 after a loss.
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