Rockets Beat Timberwolves in Overtime Thriller

The Houston Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime. They won West Group A and move on to the quarterfinals in the NBA Cup.

Nov 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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

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

Minnesota went on a run, knocking down five threes in a row. 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 and collected 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 gaining 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 became close again and the score was 84-78 with 12 minutes left 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 minutes of back and forth, Edwards was fouled and took free throws to put his team up by one. Dillingham made a floater to put the Wolves up by three with a little over three minutes to play. Julius Randle made a layup to put them up five, followed by a missed three from Sengun. VanVleet then made a three to make the score 100-102. Thompson took a charge from Randle in 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 to 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. followed 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 the lead 113-105 as the Rockets came out on top.

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

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