Rockets beat Timberwolves in Overtime Thriller

The Houston Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111 in overtime on Tuesday night.

The Rockets started hot from three shots 3-of-3 in the beginning of the game. Dillon Brooks made his first two and scored a quick six points, helping give the Rockets a 20-11 lead before Minnesota called a timeout. They got out to a quick double-digit lead of 11 with just under six minutes left in the first quarter after halftime.

Minnesota went on a run and knocked down five straight threes. They brought the lead down 32-26 at the end of the first. Anthony Edwards had 10 points in the quarter.

Houston started the second quarter 1-for-6, while the Timberwolves started 3-for-8. The Rockets lost their lead and the Wolves went up 35-33. Fred VanVleet hit a three after Amen Thompson made a two-point jumper to regain their lead, 38-35.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Brooks were the main factors for Houston in the first half as Smith Jr. had 13 points on 5-for-6 field goals and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, while Brooks scored 10. VanVleet controlled the pace for the half, tallying 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Thompson and Tari Eason continued the “Terror Twins” activity in the first half, combining for four steals and three blocks. Thompson had a steal when the score was 38-35 and dunked the ball to give the Rockets a five-point lead. The dunk boosted momentum, leading to Houston’s dominance late in the second quarter.

The dominance continued throughout the third quarter. After blowing an 18-point lead, Minnesota made a huge comeback late in the quarter. Naz Reid was the X-factor for the Timberwolves in this run, making big plays on defense and scoring. In NBA Cup fashion, the game was again close and the score was 84-78 with 12 minutes to play.

Reid made a shot to start the fourth and Dillingham followed with a three-pointer. The lead was cut to just one. Minnesota tied the game at 88 with an and-one, and then VanVleet hit a big three followed by a signature mid-range pull-up jumper from Alperen Sengun to give Houston a five-point lead.

After a few minutes of back and forth, Edwards was fouled and made free throws to put his team up by one. Dillingham made a floater to put the Wolves up by three with just over three minutes left. Julius Randle made a layup to give them five, followed by a missed three from Sengun. VanVleet then made a three to make it 100-102. Thompson took a hit from Randle on a huge defensive possession. He then got a steal and converted it into a layup to tie the game. Edwards missed a floater, sending the game into overtime.

At the start of overtime, Nickeil Alexander-Walker tipped the ball in on a miss, and then Thompson made a three to tie the game at 105. From there, Smith Jr. with a layup to give the Rockets a two point lead. Sengun made a 3-foot jump shot to give Houston a four-point lead. Finally, Brooks made a layup over Rudy Gobert with a shot from Sengun right after to make it 113-105 as the Rockets came out on top.

The Rockets play the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow at 6:00 PM CST at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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