Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Match Preview and Predictions - 24th January 2020
Match Details
Fixture: Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Date & Time: Friday, 24th January 2020 (8:00 PM ET)
Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Last Game Results
Minnesota Timberwolves (15-29): Lost 110-117 against the Chicago Bulls (Wednesday, 23rd January)
Houston Rockets (27-16): Won 121-105 against the Denver Nuggets (Wednesday, 23rd January)
Houston Rockets Preview:
The Houston Rockets are yet to hit their stride this season as a team, having won just 5 of their last 10 games. They have had a tumultuous start to their 2019-20 NBA season. They currently languish in the 6th spot, with a 27-16 record.
They won their most recent game against the 4th seed Denver Nuggets, 121-105 and will look to carry this momentum into their road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and hope to get a winning streak going.
Key Player - James Harden
Even though James Harden has averaged a career-high points per game, he has recently been going through somewhat of a shooting slump, shooting a horrible 36.5% from the field and 26.6% from beyond the arc.
Harden has averaged 36.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists a game this season, but the Rockets need Harden to break out of this shooting slump and lead them from the front against the Timberwolves on Friday night.
Predicted Rockets Lineup:
Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Ben McLemore, PJ Tucker, and Clint Capela
Minnesota Timberwolves Preview:
The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the most exciting and talented centers in the NBA with Karl-Anthony Towns, but have struggled to get anything going for them this season. They are currently languishing in 13th place with a 15-29 record.
They have won just 2 of their last 10 matches and are on a 7 game losing streak. The Wolves lost their most recent game against the Chicago Bulls in a 110-117 loss. They are now 5.5 games behind the 8th seed and need to get their season going soon else the playoffs will be out of reach.
Key Player - Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns has continued to dominate the NBA with some stellar performances this season, averaging a mammoth 26.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game. In his 5th season, he is taking more 3 pointers than he did before but is still managing to shoot at 40.9%, which is absurd.
It is the first time in his career that Towns missed has missed more than 5 games, sitting out for 17 matches this season, with a knee injury. The Wolves missed him dearly in that period and now that he is back, they need to capitalize and try to get a bunch of wins, starting at home against the Rockets.
Timberwolves Predicted lineup
Shabazz Napier, Jarrett Culver, Andrew Wiggins, Robert Covington, and Karl-Anthony Towns
Rockets vs Timberwolves match prediction
The Timberwolves have been struggling this season, with injuries to key players such as Towns causing them to miss a lot of games. They haven't found any rhythm this season and are getting steamrolled by a lot of teams. The Rockets are playing like the better team and the duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden should overcome them easily.
Where to watch Rockets vs Timberwolves?
You can catch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet - Southwest and FOX Sports North. You can also watch the game on the NBA League Pass.