Rockets Collapse in 2nd Half as Wolves Howl Back and Prevail, 103-91
Back and forth we go. The Rockets just can’t seem to get over the hump, and stay there. They had finally climbed back to .500, with a record of 11-11 entering tonight’s contest. Houston started pretty hot and even got to the point where they were sitting pretty on a comfortable 19-point lead. Then the cold kicked in. After a halftime performance by Coolio, the rims seemed to freeze up for the Rockets and the Wolves jumped on Houston’s ice-cold 2nd half shooting, howled back from a 14-point halftime deficit, and bit the Rockets in the back, as Houston fell 103-91 to the Wolves Monday night in Minnesota. After scoring 38 points in the 2nd quarter to finish the 1st half, the Rockets managed only 29 points in the 2nd half, including a palsy 9 points in the 4th quarter alone. Houston as a team made a mere 5 shots in the final 17 minutes of the game, as their hot shooting from the first half turned in the second half to resemble the weather outside Target Center. The Rockets were only 13 of 38 from the field, including an embarrassing 3 of 22 from beyond the arc. Among the positives, Houstonian and the newest member of the Rockets, Danuel House, had another strong effort, and showed he’s earning his playing time as the season progresses. Clint Capela had another strong game, and outplayed Wolves big man Towns in the first half, but this was a tale of two halves as Minnesota came out inspired in the second half. The uptick in their defensive pressure had an extreme effect on Houston’s inability to make a shot in the final half, which ultimately gave the Wolves confidence on offense, got their crowd back into the game, and caused the Rockets worst collapse of the season. The Beard led the way for the Houston with 29 points and 8 assists, but the Wolves were the deeper team Monday night. Towns led the way for the Wolves with 24, but they won behind inspired all around team-effort. Minnesota had 6 players in double figures compared to only 3 for the Rockets. After having 7 players in double figures in their previous game, this season has been truly a roller-coaster ride for the squad and its fans. The ride doesn’t get any easier as Houston visits a desperate Utah team on Thursday night. The Jazz are among 14 teams within 5 games of each other in the barbaric West. The Rockets will need to put up more of a fight on Thursday if they want to avoid falling further down the standings