NBA 2018-19: Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves – 3 Talking points
Final Score: Minnesota Timberwolves beat Houston Rockets, 103-91
Stats:
Wolves- 42 rebounds, 22 assists, 7 Blocks and 11 steals.
Rockets- 34 rebounds, 24 assists, 6 Blocks and 9 steals.
Minnesota Timberwolves improved to 12-12 for the season by blowing out Houston Rockets in the second half.
Karl-Anthony struggled a lot against Clint Capela during the playoffs the previous year. It was clear from the first play of the match that Towns is going to attack Capela as he made a spin move over him and dunked the ball. A few seconds later, Capela also hammered a dunk on the other end. It was the battle of the centres to start the match.
Towns landed in early foul troubles with three personal fouls early in the game and had to sit out for quite a part of the game. He still finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block and some significant efforts in the second half.
It was a great shooting display by the Houston Rockets in the first half as they knocked down eight three-pointers and took a 19-point lead at one point in the second quarter. However, they gave up the lead in the second half and lost the game by 12 points. Harden finished with 9 points, and eight assists and Capela finished with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Let's talk about the three main points from the match:
#3 The second half Blowout
Rockets had a 19-point lead at some point in the second quarter, and it looked like it will be an easy win for them. However, before the first half could end, Wiggins knocked down a running buzzer-beater from 38 feet and closed down the first half when they were down by 14 points. That moment was the start of a disaster for the Rockets.
Wolves gained a lot of confidence with Wiggins' buzzer-beater and came back strong in the third quarter. They outscored Rockets by 38-20 in the third quarter and by 17-9 in the fourth quarter. Defensively, they blocked shots and forced turnovers.
Check out this amazing block by Robert Covington:
Rockets were not able to knock down their shots in the second half with Harden and Gordon missing a lot of three-pointers. The defensive effort was shabby, and they let Wolves shoot open threes.
This talented Wolves side can shoot threes and the second half was proof of it.