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The Rockets came into this game on the second game of a back-to-back. Normally this would be considered a great thing due to a perceived advantage in energy level. However, the Rockets started the season off 9-0 in the second game of back to backs and came into the game with a 9 game winning streak. Perhaps the legs were a little bit stiff for the Rockets to start off this game, as they started ice cold from the field (39% shooting in the 1st quarter, including 0/7 from 3). Ryan Anderson in particular started off 0/5 from the three point line. Karl-Anthony Towns (7 points, 6 rebounds in the 1st) and Andrew Wiggins (15 points), who may have sensed a need to take on an increased scoring load due to Zach LaVine’s absence (left hip contusion), started off hot. Wiggins looked unstoppable in the 1st quarter, culminating in a driving dunk.
Andrew Wiggins taking off!! 🚀🚀 #NBAVOTE https://t.co/Yrd2bfOAUW
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 12, 2017
The Timberwolves showed their unselfishness in the 1st quarter, with 10 assists on 14 made baskets. Despite outshooting the Rockets by 20% and winning the rebounding battle, they still lead by just 7 points at the quarter, 30-23.
The 2nd quarter began with mostly reserves on the floor. Shabazz Muhammad made some nice plays early, taking a Brandon Rush pass off the scramble and scoring, then following that up with an offensive rebound and a nice pass to Nemanja Bjelica for an open three pointer (which he missed). Brandon Rush stood out as well, making the aforementioned pass and hitting two catch-and-shoot three pointers from Ricky Rubio (who had 7 assists at half). However, these plays were not enough to keep the Rockets from closing the deficit. Mental mistakes hurt the Timberwolves, including a stretch where the Timberwolves had a lane violation on a free throw followed immediately by an offensive foul (Bjelica’s 1st of 2 in the 2nd quarter) and a delay of game (also the 1st of 2 in the 2nd quarter). Adding some more frustration, Nene Hilario hit a 3 pointer (only his 6th attempt of the season) at the buzzer to bring the Rockets within 1, 55-54.
The 3rd quarter started with KAT and Harden duking it out on offensive ends of the floor. Harden had 8 points and 2 assists in the 1st 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter, showcasing an array of stepbacks and behind-the-back passes to his teammates for open shots. KAT, although struggling mightily from deep, had a silky smooth inside game. Ricky Rubio demonstrated his passing prowess with 2 more driving assists to Brandon Rush for 3 and a pretty bounce pass leading to a Shabazz Muhammad dunk.
Ricky hits Bazz with the thread-the-needle pass for two! #PowerOfThePack https://t.co/SbaOOEfzzF
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 12, 2017
The 3rd quarter ended with fireworks. Rubio stayed aggressive, pushing the tempo on the fast break, leading to yet another Shabazz dunk, and had multiple drive and kick plays for open shots. Rubio had 15 assists after 3 quarters (his 2nd straight game with 15 assists). Harden kept the Rockets in it with some crafty play of his own. In one such series, he jabbed forward and hit a quick jumper before the defender could react, then followed on the next possession with a behind-the-back pass to Ryan Anderson for 3. The Wolves offense was just too good, and they took an 89-77 lead into the 4th quarter.
The Timberwolves have become infamous for their poor record in games where they have held a double digit lead, and it looked at the start of the 4th that they were determined to avoid this. Nemanja Bjelica made a couple nice buckets and the Timberwolves further increased their lead to 20 points with 9 and a half minutes remaining. By the 7:50 mark of the 4th quarter, the Timberwolves broke 100 points. The Rockets went into full desperation mode about halfway through the 4th quarter, firing 3 pointers left and right (and making many of them). The Timberwolves offense appeared to stall out midway through the 4th, leading to a number of possessions where the strategy appeared to be to give Wiggins the ball and stand around. But they were able to weather the storm with a couple of huge 3 pointers from Shabazz. The Timberwolves finished off perhaps their biggest win of the season, handing the Rockets their 1st loss on the 2nd game of a back-to-back and snapping a 9 game win streak. Final score: 119-105.
Takeaways:
- When Ricky Rubio is on he is such a huge asset. Yeah, he can’t shoot, and that was on full display early in the game tonight, but his court vision and playmaking ability is just too good to ignore. He tied the franchise record for assists tonight with 17, including a number of passes which lead to open three pointers or easy dunks such as this one.
Yes he did! Yes he can!
Karl-Anthony Towns #NBAVOTE ⭐️ https://t.co/70qVrlfglQ
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 12, 2017
- Andrew Wiggins hot start really got the Timberwolves going. Perhaps his best skill is his ability to score in bunches, and that was really on display tonight. I’ll be the first one to criticize his lack of assists and rebounds, but not many players in the league have his ability to create baskets all on their own.
- Shabazz Muhammad gave the Timberwolves a jump start off the bench. Before the game, the FSN broadcast pointed out that Shabazz had hit on 60% of his three pointers the last 10 games. Not only did Shabazz hit 2 huge three pointers in the 4th quarter, but he also a scoring (20 points) and rebounding punch (7 rebounds) in his 30 minutes.
- Brandon Rush made his case for more playing time, hitting 4 spot-up three pointers off Rubio passes to go with 3 explosive blocks on the defensive end.
- It’s a testament to just how many players made an impact tonight that it took me 5 bullets to get to Karl-Anthony Towns. Karl had 23 points, showing off a number of pretty moves in the paint, and fought for 18 rebounds. On the flip side, KAT did not appear confident in his outside shot, pump faking before taking and missing multiple three pointers tonight.
- The Timberwolves shot a fantastic 23-25 from the free throw line as a team. Hitting those free throws is key to building and maintaining a lead, and shooting that well from the line will go a long way to winning games.
- I can’t finish off this recap without marveling and complaining about James Harden. He is just such a clever player. He finds ways to make space for his shot where other players would never get a shot off, and when there isn’t space, he finds ways to draw contact. He just seems to be a step ahead in the chess match, knowing what the defensive player will do in response to his movement, and countering it. That being said, I can’t think of a more annoying player to watch. His propensity to get calls, both by exaggerating fouls and by starting his shooting motion as he is getting fouled just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. He’s such a good player that he doesn’t need to resort to underhanded tactics like that.
All said, this was perhaps the Timberwolves most complete effort this season. They held Houston 10 points under their season average on only 41% shooting, and they got important contributions from players all across the roster. They won the rebounding battle 49-32 and assisted on over 2/3 of their made field goals. Let’s hope they can keep it going in their next game: tune in at 7pm central on Friday for a rematch of the Christmas day game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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