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Final Score: Minnesota Timberwolves beat Houston Rockets, 103-91
Stats:
Wolves- 42 rebounds, 22 assists, 7 Blocks and 11 steals.
Rockets- 34 rebounds, 24 assists, 6 Blocks and 9 steals.
Minnesota Timberwolves improved to 12-12 for the season by blowing out Houston Rockets in the second half.
Karl-Anthony struggled a lot against Clint Capela during the playoffs the previous year. It was clear from the first play of the match that Towns is going to attack Capela as he made a spin move over him and dunked the ball. A few seconds later, Capela also hammered a dunk on the other end. It was the battle of the centres to start the match.
Towns landed in early foul troubles with three personal fouls early in the game and had to sit out for quite a part of the game. He still finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block and some significant efforts in the second half.
It was a great shooting display by the Houston Rockets in the first half as they knocked down eight three-pointers and took a 19-point lead at one point in the second quarter. However, they gave up the lead in the second half and lost the game by 12 points. Harden finished with 9 points, and eight assists and Capela finished with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Let's talk about the three main points from the match:
#3 The second half Blowout
Rockets had a 19-point lead at some point in the second quarter, and it looked like it will be an easy win for them. However, before the first half could end, Wiggins knocked down a running buzzer-beater from 38 feet and closed down the first half when they were down by 14 points. That moment was the start of a disaster for the Rockets.
Wolves gained a lot of confidence with Wiggins' buzzer-beater and came back strong in the third quarter. They outscored Rockets by 38-20 in the third quarter and by 17-9 in the fourth quarter. Defensively, they blocked shots and forced turnovers.
Check out this amazing block by Robert Covington:
Rockets were not able to knock down their shots in the second half with Harden and Gordon missing a lot of three-pointers. The defensive effort was shabby, and they let Wolves shoot open threes.
This talented Wolves side can shoot threes and the second half was proof of it.
#2 Team Effort is what made the difference in the match
Basketball is a team game. You can get five iso-payers to play for your team, but if they are not working together, you are not far away from losing.
Today's match was a perfect example of the above statement.
For Rockets, three players scored in double figures -- James Harden (29), Clint Capela (24) and Eric Gordon (10).
There was some chemistry between Capella and Harden with few good pick-and-roll executions. But overall the team had no team effort and lacked the zeal to defend. I agree that they had a good lead in the first half, but that was mostly due to three-point shooting on the perimeter. Moreover, except Harden and Capella, nobody stood up to take charge and help the team.
Timberwolves, on the other hand, had six players in double figures -- Robert Covington (13), Taj Gibson (15), Karl-Anthony Towns (24), Jeff Teagu e(14), Andrew Wiggins (16) and Dario Saric (12). They defended like a team in the second half, and players like Dario Saric (coming off the bench) stood up and knocked down some three-pointers. Even Jeff Teague, who was having few rough games, knocked down two crucial back-to-back three-pointers.
Check out some of the highlights:
Karl-Anthony Towns was hugging Robert Covington immediately after the match ended, which shows what kind of aura surrounds the team. They look like a complete team at the moment.
#1 Player of the Game - Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins had been in a slump throughout the last few games. But it was not the case today.
He dropped 16 points, four rebounds, three blocks and one steal today. He shot six from eleven from the field and two from three from beyond the arc. These numbers might not seem huge, but their impact on the game was significant.
Wiggins put in everything he had in the match. He was very crucial in bringing down Rockets' 19-point lead. He shot a 3-point buzzer beater to end the first half which was vital for shifting the momentum their side.
Have a look at the buzzer beater:
Defensively he was everywhere, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots and putting up a lot of pressure on the Rockets' offence. It was so good to see him play like this after being criticised for his passive approach.
This Wolves team has been a treat to watch and will play Hornets on Wednesday.
Guess the Lakers players!
