With draft lottery odds arguably the biggest prize, the Rockets and Timberwolves will meet again on Saturday night in Minnesota. Houston dropped Friday’s opening game of the back-to-back in a historic collapse, going scoreless over the final seven-plus minutes.
The Rockets, who were outscored 22-0 in that span while having a 16-point lead wiped away, are just the fourth NBA team in the last 25 years to not score over the final 7:30 of regulation John Wall shot just 6-of-25 on Friday (24%), and he went 0-of-6 in the fourth quarter.
Star center Karl-Anthony Towns was the clear standout for Minnesota with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists, while his counterpart, Christian Wood, led the Rockets with 24 points and 9 rebounds.
With the victory, Minnesota (11-34) pulled within 1.5 games of the Rockets (12-32) in the standings. Should Houston lose again on Saturday night, the Rockets would be within a half-game of having the NBA’s worst record. Houston needs to finish among the league’s three worst marks to maximize its percentage odds for the 2021 draft lottery.
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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Rockets +3.5 (-105), Timberwolves -3.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Rockets +140/Timberwolves -165
- Over-under: 228.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
- Player O/U Scoring Props: Karl-Anthony Towns 25.5 (-115 O, -110 U), Anthony Edwards 22.5 (-115 O, -110 U), Ricky Rubio 11.5 (+100 O, -130 U); Houston TBD
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, and WV at BetMGM.
Minnesota’s probable starters are Ricky Rubio, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Meanwhile, Houston is likely to again start John Wall, Ben McLemore, Sterling Brown, Jae’Sean Tate, and Christian Wood.
As expected, Eric Gordon (groin), David Nwaba (wrist) and Dante Exum (calf) remain out with longer-term injuries, while Kevin Porter Jr. is questionable with right quad soreness. Recent trade acquisitions Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk are with the team and potentially could play Saturday, if all post-trade physicals are finalized in time.
The Timberwolves will be without D’Angelo Russell (left knee surgery), Malik Beasley (league suspension), and Josh Okogie (health and safety protocols). Jordan McLaughlin is questionable due to conditioning issues following his health and safety protocols stint.
Advice and prediction
The Rockets enter with 22 losses in their last 23 games, whereas the Timberwolves have actually won four of their last nine. It’s not great, but by comparison, it’s “better.” Houston is also dealing with the emotional baggage of Friday’s shocking collapse in the final minutes.
The Timberwolves are the safer bet.
Prediction: 113-108, Timberwolves
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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