Rockets Mauled By Wolves, 111-90, to Begin Road Trip
Big Bad Matchup. Another Road Blow. Falling Out.
It’s a good thing this Rockets team only has to play the Wolves one more time. Minnesota showed once again, why they are one of the toughest matchups in the league. The Timberwolves used a third quarter run to pounce on Houston, dealing the Rockets a 111-90 defeat. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 32 points, as Houston had no answers defensively for the Wolves’ budding superstar. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 15 points, as Houston was outmatched once again by a bigger, better Minnesota squad. This game was only a four point contest at halftime, but the Wolves dominated the second half en route to dealing the Rockets another blowout loss.
Houston is now 5-17 away from home, the second worst mark on the road in the West, only to the last-place Spurs. The Rockets have three more road games coming up on this trip, and they won’t be as challenging as the Timberwolves. Houston will travel to Indiana on Tuesday, before heading to Toronto and Atlanta over the weekend for a back-to-back beginning Friday. Hopefully the Rockets can win at least two of these three road games. Houston lost to Indiana and Atlanta at home earlier this season, and smashed the Raptors in their last win a couple games ago.
The Rockets are now 23-26, still in 11th place in the Western Conference. However, they lead the Golden State Warriors (22-25) by a mere percentage point in the standings. Houston only trails Utah by one game for the 10th and final Play-In position. It’s likely the Warriors will make a late-season push to try and sneak into one of the final spots. The Rockets are in danger of falling out of the race if they can’t improve their play on the road. These next three games will likely determine if Houston is still in the playoff mix, or if they’re falling out of the picture altogether.