Timberwolves Beat Rockets 117-107 in Houston for First Close-Game Win of the Season

The Minnesota Timberwolves won a close game in the fourth quarter for the first time this season Wednesday night. They pulled away late to beat the Houston Rockets 117-107 at Toyota Center, ended Houston's winning streak and moved to 6-3. SB Nation called it the team's best performance since Anthony Edwards was injured, and it came with the lineup still missing its top scorer.

The game was even for three quarters. The teams were tied at halftime and Houston led by two going into the fourth. ESPN reported that the Rockets still led by two midway through the period. LaMelo Ball had a rough start to the fourth, picking up three fouls in about 30 seconds and putting Houston in the bonus. He then scored eight straight points and finished the quarter with 12. That gave him 20 points, six assists and a team-best plus-15, but also seven turnovers. Jonathan Kuminga made the game's deciding plays with two late 3-pointers.

Kuminga also did the main defensive job. He guarded Amen Thompson, who has given Minnesota trouble before, and held him to 3-of-9 shooting with three turnovers. Houston turned the ball over 18 times, and Minnesota finished plus-14 in points off turnovers. Ayo Dosunmu made all six of his shots at the rim on his way to 12 first-half points and had six assists without a turnover. Bones Hyland scored 19 points in 16 minutes. Jaylen Clark added 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 25 minutes. ESPN credited Jaden McDaniels with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Free throws remain the problem. Minnesota made 10 of 19, a 53 percent night that would have been the main story if the late threes had missed.

What it means for New Orleans

The Wolves head into Friday's game at New Orleans, their second NBA Cup group-stage game, with two straight wins and some of the best scoring numbers in their nine-game sample. They are averaging about 118.8 points and allowing about 107.6, a margin of more than 11 points per game. Five of their six wins have come by 10 or more. All three losses were close: 10 points at San Antonio, five against Golden State and two at Cleveland. Close games had been the gap, and the Houston result shows they can win one.

The road has gone well. Minnesota is 3-2 away from Target Center, with blowout wins at Miami and Orlando and now Houston. Its record is 3-2 over the last five games.

With Edwards still out, the job against the Pelicans looks similar. Scoring will have to come from many players, with Ball creating late in games, Hyland scoring off the bench and Dosunmu attacking the basket. The defense will need to keep forcing turnovers. The free-throw shooting is the clearest place to improve. Minnesota has plenty of good shooters, and missing half its foul shots has made several games closer than they needed to be. Tipoff in New Orleans is 7 p.m. CT.