Edwards ignites comeback as Rockets falter late. Despite offensive fireworks, Houston’s late-game struggles resurface in a nail-biting clash.
Fans got a nice surprise on the second to last night of games this NBA season. After being in and out of the lineup, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards started the game. While this would make things more difficult for the Rockets, I was still glad to see a competitive game.
Neither team could get much of an advantage early, as Houston held an 18-20 advantage midway through the first quarter. Durant scored 14 points and concluded the period with an assist to Amen Thompson for his second dunk of the night, but the Rockets were only up by one point.
The 37-38 start wasn’t ideal considering Minnesota was still resting Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Julius Randle. Amen Thompson took advantage of this though, putting up 24 points on 10/14 shooting in the first half. Getting to the paint at will and confidently draining mid range shots was a beautiful sight to see.
After 17 ties and 19 lead changes, the Rockets led 69-73 as we went to halftime. Both teams were shooting lights out, with more than 60-percent of the shots going in so far. It’s safe to say there wasn’t much defense being played. Houston just couldn’t make a three to save their life.
Evidently they didn’t need to make any shots from distance because they got their first double digit lead of the game midway through the third quarter.
The 81-91 advantage didn’t last long though, as Anthony Edwards finally made his presence felt.
After only seven points in the first half, Edwards went on to score a point per minute in the third.
A Rockets turnover immediately after their timeout gave Mike Conley a wide open corner three in transition. 96-95 now as Minnesota climbed ahead. Back and forth we went again, as the lead changed four more times before the quarter ended.
We were gifted with a surprisingly tight contest heading into the final stint as Houston had a 103-106 advantage. Minnesota drew three fouls in the first 45 seconds of the fourth, giving the game potential to be even closer down the stretch.
Within two minutes of game time, the score was knotted at 110 points apiece. Not officially a clutch game yet, but I’d definitely consider it nut-cutting time. Houston has struggled down the stretch all season, and everyone has wondered how that would impact them in the playoffs.
After scoring at will all night long, the offense slowed down for the Rockets. Multiple turnovers allowed the Wolves to score in transition as another three from Mike Conley pushed the lead to four points. If we’re being honest, Minnesota should’ve had a bigger lead but shot themselves in the foot at the free throw line.
They would make up for that though, still pushing their advantage to a game high nine points midway through the fourth. It would stay there for a good while before finally getting back to a five point game.
With 1:18 remaining, it was arguably the biggest possession of the game for Houston. Trailing 132-127, they would unsurprisingly go to Durant, but we would surprisingly miss a free throw. Now it was up to the defense.
With a superstar still on the other team, Anthony Edwards senses the moment. Isolating on Josh Okogie for another clutch stepback three, Ant-Man effectively sealed the game. Final score 136-132 for Minnesota, despite Amen Thompson’s career high 41 points.
A disappointing outcome as Houston is now locked into fifth place, almost certainly forced to play the Lakers on the road in Round 1. LA was able to handle business against the resting Phoenix Suns, but a healthy Rockets squad couldn’t do the same against Minnesota. It feels fitting for the standings to pan out this way.