The Houston Rockets (21-19) defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-28) 107-104 on Wednesday at the Toyota Center in Houston.
This game marked a close affair between two Western Conference teams. With nine seperate lead changes, each team had their chance to make a run and close the game out, but in the end, the Rockets came out victorious. In the fourth quarter, down by seven with a minute and a half left in the game, the Timberwolves did everything they could finish strong. A bucket by Kevin Martin and a pair of free throws from Karl Anthony-Towns brought them within three. After a missed shot by the Rockets, Martin had a chance to tie the ball game at 107, but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to take the loss on the road.
It was James Harden, though, that led the way for the Rockets on Wednesday. Harden started the game out strong, scoring 16 points in the first half alone. He went on to finish the night with a team-high of 27 points (8-22 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 9-11 FT), while also getting his teammates involved and adding 11 assists. The double-double marked his eighth of the season, while it was the sixth time he's recorded double-digit assists. Notching a double-double of his own was Dwight Howard. Howard has dealt with lingering back spasms this season, but didn't show any ill effects Wednesday and added 15 points (5-7 FG, 5-10 FT), 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. While the above duo played well, they also received some help off the bench, as Terrence Jones chipped in with 16 points (7-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and nine rebounds.
It was Andrew Wiggins who did everything he could to keep the Timberwolves close. He struggled in the first half, recording just 10 points and one rebound, but he ended up exploding in the second half and finished the outing with 28 points (9-16 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 8-9 FT) and a pair of boards. The second-year guard out of Kansas has really stepped it up offensively of late and is averaging 26.5 points over his last four outings. December's Rookie of the Month, Karl Anthony-Towns, also saw some success against the tough defensive bigs of the Rockets. Towns recorded 12 points (4-10 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-4 fT) and 16 rebounds over 33 minutes of action. The 16 rebounds matched a season-high for the rookie.
The Rockets' next game will be at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, while the Timberwolves will remain on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
