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Houston Rockets Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Game 59: Sneak Peek Analysis

By Brian K. Patterson

Dec 17, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) fight for the ball in the second half at Target Center. The Rockets won 111-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) fight for the ball in the second half at Target Center. The Rockets won 111-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Don’t step on the tracks, the Houston Rockets are the bullet train coming through!

Don’t step on the tracks, the Houston Rockets are the bullet train coming through!

Your slightly retooled Rockets — plus Lou Williams — have morphed back into the team that we’ve come to known.

Thursday’s 129-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans demonstrated that the fast pace offense incorporated with a heavy mix of pick-and-rolls and three-pointers proved to be too potent for our lowly opponent.

We’re going to continue to plow through the competition with all of this firepower but I can’t wait until we face the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers because it will be a true test of the system.

So far, it’s working and although the Rockets stumbled their way into the All-Star break, it goes to show they were tired and needed some rest.

They played wonderfully out there the other night with their legs still under them.

The Rockets will take on the 23-35 Minnesota Timberwolves tonight and they won’t be an easy task as they have some key, young pieces on their roster.

So what’s next?

So who’s leading the charge for the Timberwolves?

Karl-Anthony Towns leads the team in scoring (23.7 PPG), is the top board-getter (11.9 RPG) and shot-blocker (1.4 APG).  Ricky Rubio is in charge of the dimes (8.5 APG) and steals (1.8 SPG).

Let’s talk about what the Timberwolves do well.

They have a decent offense that they run.  The Timberwolves are 11th in the NBA in regard to offensive efficiency, averaging 107.5 points per 100 possessions.

They’re good at moving the ball around.  The Timberwovles are 7th in the NBA as far as assist ratio, with 17.7 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.

They’re a solid rebounding team.  The Timberwolves are also 7th in rebound rate, taking down 51.2 percent of missed shots.

Next: James Harden To Sign A Super-Max Deal In 2017?

Injuries:

There are no injuries to report for the Houston Rockets.

As for the Timberwolves, Zach LaVine injured his knee a few weeks ago and is out for the season.  LaVine is one of NBA’s brightest up-and-coming stars and it will be a tough loss for that team as they try to make a playoff push.

Adrelan Payne has been suffering from an illness and is expected to be out until the middle of next week.

Source(s): CBS Sports

Matchups to Watch:

  1. Clint Capela vs. Karl-Anthony Towns
  2. Patrick Beverley vs. Ricky Rubio
  3. Trevor Ariza vs. Andrew Wiggins
  4. Ryan Anderson vs. Gorgui Dieng

Prediction:

119-106 in a Houston Rockets’ win!

The Rockets are back at home for awhile to take on the T-Wolves at Toyota Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM 217 (Internet 890) and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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