National Basketball Association
Minnesota 113, Houston 112
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, December 27, 2024
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials:
#50 Gediminas Petraitis, #28 Mousa Dagher, # Sha'Rae Mitchell
Attendance:
18055
By Field Level Media
Anthony Edwards drilled a 3-pointer with 23.2 seconds left to cap a stunning fourth-quarter rally and lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-112 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday.
The Timberwolves closed the game on a 23-6 run that featured two 3-pointers from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, nine points from Naz Reid and Edwards' three-point play with 1:31 left that pulled Minnesota within 110-108.
Julius Randle added a driving dunk on the Timberwolves' ensuing possession before Edwards' pull-up 3-pointer erased the last of what was a 106-90 deficit with 4:57 left.
Edwards scored 24 points. Randle had 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 22 points, and Alexander-Walker and Reid combined for 25, all off the bench.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with a season-high 38 points but missed a pair of free throws in the final 69 seconds. Sengun grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds while Amen Thompson also posted a double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds). Fred VanVleet (18 points, six rebounds, seven assists) teamed with Sengun to score 19 points in a turnaround third period.
Houston played without Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Tari Eason (leg) and had its four-game winning streak snapped. Thompson sandwiched a pair of dunks around two Jabari Smith Jr. 3-pointers to key a 12-2 run early in the fourth quarter that helped the Rockets surge to the double-digit advantage.
Edwards produced a sensational first quarter, tallying 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including a 3-for-3 showing from behind the arc. His coast-to-coast, buzzer-beating layup spotted the Timberwolves a 22-21 lead entering the second. Minnesota overcame six turnovers in the first period.
Edwards' teammates shot just 3-for-11 in the opening frame. Randle and DiVincenzo came alive in the second, with Randle keying a 10-2 run to a 39-32 lead with five points. When DiVincenzo nailed a corner 3-pointer at the 6:28 mark, the Timberwolves led 45-36 with DiVincenzo, Edwards and Randle all with 13 points.
The Rockets responded to an Edwards baseline jumper with an 8-0 spurt to claw to within 52-50, and trailed by just five at the intermission despite 4-for-14 shooting from behind the arc.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Houston |
Julius Randle 27 |
Scoring |
Alperen Sengun 38 |
Julius Randle 8 |
Assists |
Fred VanVleet 7 |
Rudy Gobert 9 |
Rebounds |
Alperen Sengun 12 |
Donte DiVincenzo 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Alperen Sengun 6 |
Jaden McDaniels 3 |
Steals |
Aaron Holiday 2 |
Rudy Gobert 2 |
Blocks |
Jabari Smith Jr. 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Minnesota
|
113 |
50.6 |
21-43 |
8-16 |
25 |
40 |
6 |
8 |
16 |
Houston
|
112 |
48.9 |
10-30 |
12-19 |
19 |
47 |
3 |
7 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Houston will play their next game at home against Miami. The Rockets have a W/L % of .591 after a win and .889 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .467 after a loss.