The Minnesota Timberwolves lost the No. 1 spot in the West, but the team's quality is there, and it's not a big problem for them, the duo of Edwards and Towns determines the team's ceiling, but the key to the team's success is the league's No. 1 offensive efficiency. In this game, the Timberwolves welcomed the challenge of the Houston Rockets at home. This season, the Rockets are making an impact on the playoffs, and the team is currently seventh in the league in defensive efficiency thanks to its excellent defense.
The Rockets also have a lot of talented teenagers, although they don't have a champion, but Shin Kyung has grown to the level of an All-Star insider, in addition, there is also the star Jalen Green, who has been in great form recently, and as for the rookies Whitmore and Thompson, they have gradually proven their talent and become an integral part of the team.
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, the Timberwolves showed home-court advantage, the team blossomed more, as many as 4 people scored 5 points, including the champion Lang Towns and Edwards, the team scored 31 points in a single quarter, while the Rockets only scored 23 points, Van Jordan got 5 points and 1 assist, Shen Jing was 4 points and 5 rebounds, and Jalen Green did not score a point on 0-of-4 shooting. After returning from the game in the second quarter, the Timberwolves suddenly felt a decline, Edwards shot 0 of 3, Towns shot 1 of 4, the two champions each scored only 2 points, and the team only scored 17 points in a single quarter.
The Rockets didn't take the opportunity, Shen Jing had 7 points and 1 rebound on 3-of-4 shooting, Jalen Green had only 3 points and 3 assists on 1-of-5 shooting, and the team only scored 21 points in a single quarter, and at the end of the half, the Timberwolves continued to lead the Rockets by 4 points at 48-44. In the second half, the Timberwolves found their form, Edwards was full of firepower, shooting 9 of 12 for 22 points and 3 rebounds, once again showing his talent, leading the team to 32 points in a single quarter, while the Rockets only scored 20 points, Whitmore on the bench scored 7 points and 1 steal, and Shen Jing and Green only scored 4 points.
The 16-point difference is not that there is no chance to catch up, the Rockets did not give up, Whitmore scored another 7 points and 1 assist, but the team's starting state is very bad, and the Timberwolves do not give any hope. Gobert had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and Towns also had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks, and the two interior guards helped the Timberwolves beat the Houston Rockets by 21 points 111-90.
The Timberwolves won the game, and Edwards once again showed the talent of the champion, shooting 11 of 22 from the field, 4 of 8 from three-point range, and getting 32 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Gobert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Towns had a poor hand, with only 14 points and 10 rebounds on 4-of-12 shooting. Reed on the bench had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Chinese player Li Kaier had 6 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Rockets were unable to score as a team in this game, the team did not show any competitiveness, and even scored less than Edwards in a single quarter. Shen Jing scored 15 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist on 7-of-14 shooting, and as a leading star, such a performance is obviously not enough. Van Jordan only had 11 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, as for Jalen Green, who lost the magic of the previous period, 3 of 15 shots, 0 of 5 three-point shots, only 8 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists, and Whitmore on the bench had 14 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.