With a victory over the Rockets, the Timberwolves snap their first losing streak with great force.
The Timberwolves decisively end their first losing run with a victory over the Rockets. Minnesota hit its first bump in the road this week. Every NBA team will incur those — it’s the nature of an 82-game season in which the games come fast and furious. No team can always be at its best. But these are the moments Timberwolves guard Mike Conley noted in training camp define championship-caliber teams. One trait all great squads have in common, he said, is resiliency
This week — in which the Wolves lost consecutive games for the first time all season after seemingly losing their edge — marked the first adversity the current top team in the Western Conference had stumbled upon all season. “It’s the ability to go on a two- or three-game losing streak, snap out of it and have team meetings, talk to each other.
The media is tackling you and trying to split you apart, and you band together and have moments in the season that become those signature moments that you can look back at and say, ‘Hey, this is when they became who they were.’ And then, boom, it pops,” Conley said in October. “I think a lot of teams go through that stage and they Hey, this is how they really came into their own. Subsequently, it explodes,” Conley stated in October. ”
I believe that many teams experience that phase and eventually work it out. I believe that as a team, we meet some of those requirements—we have the skill, the size, and the depth—but are we resilient enough to face challenges? When things get tough, can we make it through?
The response on Friday was a resounding “Yes.” In an impressive comeback to its first losing run, Minnesota defeated the formidable Rockets 122-95 in Houston by imposing its will.
From the beginning of the game, Minnesota seemed to have complete control over the outcome. In addition to outrebounding Houston 51-39 and holding the Rockets to just 40% shooting while forcing 15 turnovers, the Wolves scored 60 points in the paint.
The Wolves had a strong game. They imposed their will while playing a particular style of basketball. The team on Friday appeared to be a lot more like the one that won the regular season’s first two months than the one that Wolves coach Chris Finch had called “average” in recent weeks. If the Timberwolves’ demolition by New Orleans on Wednesday served as a wake-up call, they answered it on Friday. If the Timberwolves’ demolition by New Orleans on Wednesday served as a wake-up call, they answered it on Friday.
They were not only tough on defense, which made the Rockets (17-16) play rather carelessly on offense, but Minnesota was also proficient offensively. The Wolves (25-9) had good all-around offense and moved the ball, as evidenced by their 31 assists.
Six athletes scored ten or more points. Leading the way with 24 points and five assists was Anthony Edwards. Rudy Gobert finished with 12 rebounds and 13 points. Eight rebounds, six assists, and 22 points were scored by Karl-Anthony Towns. Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels added 16 more points apiece.
Minnesota made 42% of its shots from long range and 52% from the floor. The Timberwolves put on the most comprehensive show in recent weeks, and it was against a Houston Rockets team that was 14-5 going into the game. The response mechanisms in Minnesota performed flawlessly in their first real test of the 2023–24 campaign.
