Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves beat Rockets soundly in Game 3

The Timberwolves played a strong second half and held on late to defeat the Rockets and pull to within a 2-1 in the series.

Once again, the Timberwolves built an early lead on the Rockets. And once again, Houston made a run towards the end of the first half and turned what as a 12-point Minnesota lead into just a single point at halftime.

But this time around, the Wolves went on a surge of their own in the third quarter, riding the wave of a playoff-starved Target Center crowd. They outscored Houston by a 35-24 margin in the third frame and rode that momentum into the fourth quarter.

Derrick Rose turned back the clock once again, scoring 10 points in the second quarter and seven in the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns had a solid game from the second quarter on, and Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy butler were great throughout.

Jeff Teague had a horrible first quarter, from poor entry passes to bad, no-pass possessions. But by the end of the game he was knocking down threes and finishing 3-point plays and dragging his teammates along with him to the win.

Teague also put enough pressure on Chris Paul to cause CP3 to foul-out with a few minutes remaining in the game as the game slipped out of reach for the Rockets.

Butler tweaked his ankle late in the first half but battled through yet another injury and both played solid defense on James Harden and scored on the other end of the floor when needed.

The Wolves led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the Rockets never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way. Minnesota scored enough on offense and provided enough resistance defensively to keep Houston at arm’s length.

Random Game Takeaways

• The Timberwolves continue to benefit from the strangely cold shooting of the Rockets. Through the first two games, Houston shot just 29.2 percent from beyond the arc. On Saturday, they did manage to make 15 of their 41 attempts (36.6 percent), but they continued to miss open and semi-open shots.
• That said, Minnesota’s defense was quite strong once again. This was more than simply missing shots on Houston’s part, the Wolves were physical and the three-guard lineup with Teague, Rose, and Jamal Crawford was actually effective.
• Credit where credit is due: yours’ truly has been extremely hard on Andrew Wiggins (for the past few years) and Derrick Rose (for the past few weeks), but they were huge, driving factors behind this win.
• Obviously, a win in Game 4 on Monday night is a virtual necessity if Minnesota wants to truly put the Rockets on notice. But as long as they bring the same intensity next time out, they’ll have a real shot to do it.
• I’ll quickly point out that I called for the team to avoid dumb turnovers in my game preview after a pair of uncharacteristically sloppy games to start the series, and they only committed seven miscues in Game 3.

Player of the Game

Andrew Wiggins: 20 points (7-11 FG, 4-6 3P, 2-4 FT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, one steal, one block

This was one of the toughest POTG awards to give out all season long. There’s an argument to made for Wiggins, Teague, Rose, and Butler, who lead the team in scoring with 28 points.

And while each of the aforementioned players had stretches in which they dominated the proceedings, it was Wiggins who was solid throughout and hit multiple big 3-point shots when the ball was rotated to him on the perimeter.

But in addition to the ultra-efficient 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, Wiggins notched five rebounds and five assists and generally made the right play at the right time throughout the game.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Jimmy Butler: 28 points (10-19 FG, 4-6 3P, 4-6 FT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, one steal
• Jeff Teague: 23 points (9-14 FG, 3-5 3P, 2-3 FT), 8 assists, 3 rebounds, one steal
• Karl-Anthony Towns: 18 points (5-13 FG, 1-2 3P, 7-7 FT), 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, one steal
• Derrick Rose: 17 points (8-16 FG, 1-2 3P), 2 assists, 2 steals

Next: 3 players the Timberwolves should consider drafting

What’s Next?

Game 4 will be at Target Center on Monday night at 7 p.m. on TNT before shifting back to Houston on Wednesday evening at a tip-off time yet to be determined.