Minnesota Timberwolves: Wolves overcome 19-point deficit, beat Rockets

The Minnesota Timberwolves trailed as many as 19 points to the Houston Rockets on Monday night but came back a vengeance, ultimately earning a 103-91 victory.

It was a tale of two halves on Monday night at Target Center as the Minnesota Timberwolves came all the way back from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets by a final score of 103-91.

After the first quarter of the game was played to a draw, the Rockets asserted themselves in the second quarter and rode reigning MVP James Harden to a 19-point lead late in the frame.

The Timberwolves went on a mini-run just prior to halftime, including a steal and a 3-pointer from near half-court that was banked in by Andrew Wiggins at the buzzer, drawing the Wolves to within 14 at the break.

For as bad as the Wolves defense was in the first half — Rockets center Clint Capela had seven dunks in the game — the defense tightened up considerably in the second half. Once again, Wolves fans saw their squad’s rotations become crisper and much swifter as they scrambled to contest 3-point attempts by the Rockets.

Minnesota struggled to guard the Rockets’ effective pick-and-roll early in the game, but when they began switching consistently in the second half, it ate into the number of lob-pass opportunities that Houston was able to execute.

Also in the second half, the Wolves finally quit trying to exploit the mismatches that the Rockets’ regular switching causes. Instead of forcing things, the Wolves got into the paint and kicked the ball out, swinging it around the perimeter to the open man.

During the middle stages of the comeback, there were a pair of big 3-pointers from Dario Saric. Then, a couple from Jeff Teague and one each from Robert Covington and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Remarkably, the high-powered Rockets scored just 29 points in the second half and nine in the fourth quarter as the Wolves held their sixth opponent out of their last nine under 100 points, and the eighth out of nine under 103.

It’s also important to point out that Chris Paul scored just five points in 36 minutes and that Harden shot just 8-of-17 from the floor.

Overall, it was a balanced attack by Minnesota, with six players scoring in double figures and Towns leading the way with 24 points in 33 minutes.

Tweet of the Night

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 24 points (10-24 FG, 1-3 3P, 3-4 FT), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, one block

Towns didn’t play much in the first half after picking up three quick fouls, but scored 10 points in before halftime nonetheless.

He came out of the locker room for the second half aggressive, too, and the Wolves continually looked for him in the post. The Rockets’ P.J. Tucker did a great job fronting the post and fighting Towns for position and somehow wasn’t called for a foul in that situation all night long, but when Towns had Capela on him or any of the other Rockets players, he largely dominated.

His defense was perhaps even more important than his offense; after the early onslaught of dunks from Capela, Towns and his teammates played lockdown defense down the stretch.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Andrew Wiggins: 16 points (6-11 FG, 2-3 3P, 2-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, one steal
• Taj Gibson: 15 points (4-11 FG, 0-1 3P, 7-8 FT), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal
• Robert Covington: 13 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3P, 3-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
• Dario Saric: 12 points (4-8 FG, 3-4 3P, 1-1 FT), one assist
• Derrick Rose: 0 points (0-4 FG, 0-1 3P), 5 assists, 3 rebounds

Wiggins had a strong stretch from late in the first half through the third quarter, notching a couple of huge defensive plays and scoring both in transition and on the perimeter on the offensive end of the floor.

Gibson had another double-double, and Covington was his typical awesome self even while only attempting seven shots (and just four 3-pointers) in a game-high 39 minutes.

Saric was awesome in the second half, hitting a pair of big threes and converting a 3-point play in the paint in the midst of the Wolves’ extended run. Rose had a good game but was surprisingly passive on offense. Thankfully, Minnesota didn’t need his scoring on this night.

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves will play host to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT.