Moral Victories Aren’t Enough for the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets had nearly every element for their formula for victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the best teams in the league don't have excuses for falling short, nor do the Rockets.

Dec 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) shoots the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets nearly had a perfect win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They survived an early onslaught of three-point shooting and held a double-digit lead with a few minutes to go. However, the Timberwolves are too good to ease up the pressure. Houston released some intensity, and Minnesota took advantage to steal a victory on a huge shot from star guard Anthony Edwards.

The Rockets can take away some quality lessons and moral victories to nearly beat a team in the Western Conference Finals last season. But there are no moral victories as a top seed in the West. Every win counts and Houston let one slip away.

Everyone is gunning for the upstart Rockets. They may have surprised teams to start the season with their intense defense and occasional high-performing offense, but the league understands Houston's brand of basketball now. The best teams can adjust and discover a game plan to counter Houston's attack. Minnesota did just that.

The Timberwolves allowed Alperen Sengun to score whatever he wanted from inside the paint, but they limited his ability to create plays for his teammates. The Rockets get much more efficient offense when Sengun causes pressure close to the rim either with his back to the basket or rolling to the bucket after setting a screen. Houston couldn't create those shots and often settled for difficult three-point attempts from Fred VanVleet or other players.

Only VanVleet and Jalen Green finished with five or more assists. Every other player finished with one assist or none. This set the stage for Minnesota to hold things close until they could eventually fight their way back at the end of the game.

The Rockets' reserves contributed little in this game, which was another factor that failed to carry over from their previous four games. Cam Whitmore and Jae'Sean Tate combined for 10 points against Minnesota and those were the only bench points of the game for Houston.

In fairness, those two were the only players off the bench to reach double-digit minutes in the game. The starters logged heavy minutes in a simulation of postseason basketball. The Timberwolves spread their minutes out more evenly, giving nearly 40 to standout bench player Donte DiVincenzo rewarded them with 22 points and six made three-pointers.

The Rockets also struggled a little on the defensive end, an element of their game that usually is consistent. Some of Minnesota's success can be attributed to its players making difficult shots, but some of their opportunities were from poor individual defense or lack of attention. Both are mistakes that most good teams will punish without hesitation.

The defense was profoundly lacking in its plan against Minnesota's best players. Edwards delivered the game's biggest shot, but Julius Randle hit several tough shots throughout the game that helped the Timberwolves keep it relatively close. The Rockets will play against stars like Jayson Tatum and Lebron James throughout this home stretch. Each of those players can take over a game and lead their respective teams to victory. The Rockets will need to find ways to slow those players down to have a chance at victory themselves.

If the Rockets could have finished the job against the Timberwolves, the conversation around their performance might have been different. Now they'll be looking at what went wrong to keep them from starting their home stretch with a victory.

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