Wolves record: 20-49
The Rockets slugged the Wolves and they never responded. Looked like they couldn’t wait for this tough three-game trip to be over. Now they get to do it all over again next week, only this time at Atlanta, Philly and Cleveland.
Only 13 left, though!
Craig Smith scored 19 and Kevin Love had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who’ve lost 16 of 19 since Al Jefferson’s season-ending knee injury on Feb. 8. Jefferson scored over 30 points in Minnesota’s first two games against the Rockets this season.
The Rockets beat the Timberwolves for the eighth straight time, while the Timberwolves dropped their sixth straight road game.
“They beat us up pretty good,” Minnesota coach Kevin McHale said. “We couldn’t get anything going offensively and then our defense didn’t come through. It was a bad combination for us.”
The Rockets led by eight points in the first quarter, by 14 in the second and by as many as 27 after halftime on a night when the Wolves tried to take massive Yao Ming out of the game two ways and were overwhelmed anyway.
They tried fronting Yao to keep the ball out of his hands and the Rockets moved the ball efficiently and shared the wealth.
They tried driving the ball at Yao’s feet early to get him into foul trouble, and that didn’t work, either.
Ron Artest led a third-quarter surge for the Rockets and finished with 20 points, five rebounds and six assists. Craig Smith had 19 points and seven boards off the Wolves’ bench.
Love’s double-double was his third straight. But it was far less than the 36 points and 22 rebounds Jefferson had against the Rockets one day before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament on Feb. 8 at New Orleans.
23 Kevin Love’s double-doubles this season, after an 18-point, 12-rebound night.
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