Wolves vs. Rockets Final Score: Wolves Almost Breakthrough

On By Littum

This was going to be the blog post that you could crush and inject into your veins as pure, unrepentant Rob Dillingham propaganda after a flawless performance that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves to a massive comeback victory over Houston Rockets.

You can still get some of it. But man, we were so, so close.

What turned out to be a +24, 12-point, career-high seven-assist game for the rookie. It’s now back-to-back breakout performances from Dillingham that were for naught. However, it was a product that showed a need to be satisfied for a team that so desperately needs to have a real point guard in the lineup to run a reasonable offense.

The need was proven a little too late at a time when the margin of error was too small to overcome late.

The reverse results were evident early on. Donte DiVincenzo started in place of Mike Conley, who missed his third straight game. Disorganization occurred right off the bat and resulted in Houston taking an 11-point lead into the first quarter.

“I didn’t really like our effort and energy in the first half,” head coach Chris Finch said afterward. “(We) kept giving it back and trying to do too much”

Jabari Smith started fast for Houston, taking advantage of soft finishes. A 32 percent three-point shooter so far this season, he poured in 13 points in the first half on 3-4 shooting from deep and was a major reason Houston was able to jump over the Wolves early.

Total ignorance followed at the other end of the wolves. Outside of perhaps one of the best Anthony Edwards games of the year so far, ball movement was little to none, turnovers were plentiful, and DiVincenzo struggled to spray the ball to open shooters and keep the ball on drives.

The Wolves finished the half with nine turnovers and kept bad play rolling into the second, to the point where a joyous and loud Target Center finally snapped and expressed that they had finally had enough.

It was reminiscent of the 2022-23 season when the boo birds so often found their wings during stretches of poor, aimless and selfish play from a team that had such high expectations attached to it. A team that didn’t have much of a point guard in the pre-Conley era and was at odds with itself over something as correctable as being able to direct their own traffic and, as Finch put it, letting the offense affect their defense a lot, too.

Just as I had the Rob Dillingham propaganda in the funnel, I had the start of a doomsday piece ready to go.

Then a point guard came and punched them in the face.

NBA: Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves

Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn photos

The Point Guard Problem (and Solution)

It’s time we put an end to the “Donte DiVincenzo is a point guard” idea.

It hasn’t worked all season. It continues to not work. He does specific things well (move and shoot), and at this point where the team is, he needs to focus on those things before adding additional responsibilities to his plate (being a full-on NBA point guard); and yes, the ability to get open was on display when he saw the field with Dillingham.

He needs to do less to help the offense more.

The recent breakout of the first round rookie, especially in the wake of Conley’s absence, has shown how desperately this team needs a point guard presence on the floor. That is reflected by an 0-4 record without Conley, and the +24 that Dillingham has posted on Tuesday.

“I think it’s clear our rhythm is affected,” Finch said when asked about giving an unconventional point guard like DiVincenzo or Nickeil Alexander-Walker point guard responsibility in the lineup.

“Ant and Julius feel like they have to do too much too soon…Rob’s play early on has exposed that for us.”

Finch added that he tried to get play calls into the overtime period and tried to slow down the offense to get organized, but the lack of same reared its ugly head again in a period where Dillingham didn’t see a run until it was over. late.

Selfless organization of where the ball goes protects the team from immaturity and being too hasty in attack. The Wolves went on a 16-0 run as soon as Dillingham entered the game in the second half and came up just short down the stretch and into OT.

They simply ran out of time and leash.

Emptying the notebook

  • Jaden McDaniels had another rough outing. He missed several timely open 3-pointers in both the fourth quarter and the overtime period. He finished the game 1-8 from three and 0-4 in the fourth quarter and overtime. While he was active on the glass and was the culprit of some key second-chance points, teams noticeably guard him much softer behind the arc.
  • Speaking of a tough stretch, Anthony Edwards went 0-8 in the fourth quarter and overtime. His shot selection late in the fourth quarter was mostly poor. It goes back to what Finch said after the match; instead of going for an instant-kill shot, at times it felt like the offense had a healthy enough rhythm to set up and attack the rim.
  • Rudy Gobert played nearly 20 straight minutes in bad trouble. He checked in late in the third quarter, played the entire fourth quarter and most of overtime. He was also the only starter to finish with a positive plus-minus.

Next

The Wolves will stay at the Target Center for a home back-to-back against a team they haven’t lost to in two tries this season in the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have lost four straight and will be without DeMar DeRozan.

The last time the two teams played, De’Aaron Fox went for 60 points at home.

It’s an excellent opportunity for the Wolves to get back on track and find some footing during a three-game skid.

Highlights