Timberwolves vs. Rockets: Odds, injuries, and what to watch for

The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to avoid two losses in 24 hours as they host the Houston Rockets, who are on a six-game winning streak.

The Minnesota Timberwolves blew a chance for what should have been an easy win on Friday night, and now they’ll have to face a red-hot Houston team on the second half of a back-to-back, and they may not have Andrew Wiggins for the second game in a row.

After being blown out by the previously 2-7 Wizards at home, the Wolves host the Rockets on Saturday. Houston has won six straight games, although they’ll be without Russell Westbrook (rest) and likely without Clint Capela (concussion).

The Wolves, on the other hand, didn’t have Wiggins at their disposal on Friday night and he is currently listed as questionable for Saturday’s game due to personal reasons.

The Rockets defeated the Indiana Pacers at home on Friday. Without Capela, they turned to veteran Tyson Chandler as the starting center. Despite playing sparingly over the first few weeks of the season, Chandler logged 25 minutes against Indiana and made his presence felt on defense, although he was relatively quiet on the glass and only attempted two shots from the field.

The Wolves will need to take advantage of the Rockets’ lack of size if they want to have a chance to pull out a win. Look for the Wolves to rotate through the likes of Josh Okogie, Robert Covington, and Treveon Graham when it comes to guarding James Harden, who has been on a tear of late.

Timberwolves odds against the Rockets

• Favorite: Wolves (-1.5)
• Over/under: 232
• Moneyline: -120 Minnesota/+100 Houston
• Odds courtesy of The Action Network. Displayed odds current as of Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT.

Tickets, TV and streaming info for Timberwolves vs. Rockets

• Television: Fox Sports North
• Radio: 830 WCCO
• Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options
• Tickets: StubHub offers ticketing options

What to watch for in Wolves vs. Rockets

The first thing to keep an eye on in any game against the Rockets is James Harden. He’s going to get his shots up; Harden is attempting 14 3-pointers per game so far this season. He’s only making 32.7 percent of them, but that doesn’t have any impact on how many Harden will launch on a nightly basis.

The Wolves must capitalize on a lack of size from the Rockets. instead of countering small-ball with small-ball, the Wolves should seriously consider playing big and trying to dominate the glass. While Houston is seventh in the league in rebounding, their two leading rebounders are both out in Capela and Westbrook.

If Wiggins plays, the Wolves should be considered favorites. Without him, this should be a close game.

Injury Report

Houston is without Westbrook (rest), Capela (concussion) and Eric Gordon (knee surgery).

The Wolves are listing Wiggins as questionable due to personal reasons and Shabazz Napier as doubtful with his ongoing hamstring issue.

Check back in after the game for player grades and throughout the rest of your weekend for continuing coverage of what will hopefully be an 8-4 squad.