Dunking With Wolves
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Wolves Wrap: Losing a tough battle in Houston

By Ben Beecken

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The Timberwolves stayed close to the Houston Rockets for much of the game, but the depth of the home team was enough to overcome the Wolves late in the third quarter and into the final frame.

It was a sloppy game marred by horrible jump-shooting and a number of missed shots at the rim by both teams. While there were a total of 73 free throws shot in the game, it seemed as though there could have been twice as many fouls called. The officiating was spotty at best, even leading to the first technical foul of Andrew Wiggins‘ NBA career.

Referee Curtis Blair in particular had a rough evening, at one point in the first half calling an absurd jump ball that negated a dunk by Gorgui Dieng and followed it up by incorrectly calling the ball out of bounds to the Rockets after the jump. Fortunately another official corrected him, but there were a few more struggles for Blair later in the evening.

The Wolves were lucky that the Rockets started the game shooting 1 of 14 from beyond the arc, but once James Harden and Co. started to hit their stride in the second half things really went downhill for the visitors.

Minnesota did pull within a single point with just over three minutes remaining in the game but the game never really felt like it was in doubt once Houston had built their double-digit lead. Harden was unstoppable down the stretch and the Wolves struggled so mightily on the glass that the Rockets maintained control from that point forward.

Star of the Night

James Harden: 31 points (7-20 FG, 12-15 FT, 5-11 3P), 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 blocks

Harden’s triple-double was easy despite his rough shooting night. He started extremely cold from the field but once he started getting to the free throw line, there was only so much that the Wolves could do.

Wiggins guarded him for much of the evening and actually did a good job, as weird as that sounds. Harden only shot 2 of 9 from inside the arc and was forced to pass the ball with frequency. Turns out, he’s really, really good.

Tweet of the Night

Stat of the Night

In true Rockets fashion, this was a game with a seemingly endless parade of three-pointers and free throws. There were 73 free throws attempted total, with the Wolves shooting 35 of 39 (89.7%) and the Rockets converting of 23 of 34 attempts (67.6%).

The Rockets were ice cold from long-range early in the game, but as it turns out, the law of averages is a real thing. They ultimately shot 12 of 38 from beyond the arc (31.6%) while Minnesota was just 5 of 18 (27.8%).

Notable Lines

  • Ricky Rubio: 14 points (2-9 FG, 10-10 FT 0-4 3P), 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 5 turnovers
  • Andrew Wiggins: 30 points (12-24 FG, 5-5 FT, 1-3 3P), 6 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, 5 turnovers
  • Nikola Pekovic: 16 points (6-18 FG, 4-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers

Who’s Got Next?

The Wolves host the Washington Wizards at Target Center on Wednesday night in Kevin Garnett‘s first game after last week’s trade. It’s also a reunion in a number of different ways as old friends Randy Wittman and Flip Saunders will face off, coincidentally against an opposing team that they once coached.

Garnett will also be facing former Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets teammate Paul Pierce. Target Center will no doubt be hopping and the team claims that it’s already released an additional 1,000 tickets.

We’ll have coverage of Garnett’s welcome press conference on Tuesday in advance of a preview and recap of Wednesday’s game.

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