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Towns was unstoppable, particularly in the first quarter, when
he scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. He
scored in myriad ways, tallying baskets on the move and in the
post while drilling a pair of 3-pointers. He also grabbed nine
rebounds.
When Towns took a breather after playing more than 11 minutes in
the first, Russell took the reins, following his eight-point
first quarter with 11 more in the second.
The Timberwolves basically had it easy against a Rockets defense
that frequently left shooters open from the perimeter while
repeatedly failing to get back in transition. Minnesota used a
fast-break strategy to race to a 75-54 halftime lead and
outscored Houston in fast-break points 31-18 for the game.
The Timberwolves led by as many as 25 before the intermission.
For Minnesota, Jarred Vanderbilt had a double-double of 21
points and 19 rebounds while Malik Beasley and Jaylen Nowell
scored 13 and 11 points off the bench, respectively. Anthony
Edwards chipped in 19 points and six assists.
Christian Wood tallied a team-high 22 points for Houston while
rookie Josh Christopher, Garrison Mathews and KJ Martin totaled
46 points in reserve. Christopher shot 8 for 13 from the field,
Mathews hit four 3-pointers, and Martin added seven rebounds,
but the starting backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green
combined for 19 points on just 6-for-20 shooting.
Houston allowed the Timberwolves to amass 74 points in the
paint.
The Rockets fashioned an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter that cut
their deficit to 124-109, but Towns scored through a David Nwaba
foul at the 5:31 mark, and his subsequent free throw completed
the 3-point play and extended the Minnesota lead back to 18
points.
--Field Level Media
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