Timberwolves sweep the week, win in Houston and climb to 7-3

The result that mattered most this week came in Houston. The Minnesota Timberwolves went on the road and beat the Houston Rockets 117-107, a clear win over a team sitting level with them near the top of the Western Conference.

It was the middle game of a 3-0 week. Minnesota opened at home against Milwaukee, won in Houston, then closed in New Orleans. The record moved to 7-3, and the Wolves are now one game behind the three teams leading the West.

The week

Monday: Milwaukee Bucks at Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-100. The Milwaukee Bucks arrived with one win and left at 1-6. Minnesota won by 12, enough to clear a spread of 10.5 but not by much. The combined 212 points finished well under the totals posted for the game.

Wednesday: Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets, 117-107. This was the test of the week, and Minnesota passed it by 10 on the road. Both teams are now 7-3, so the head-to-head result is worth keeping in mind as the season goes on.

Friday: Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans, 115-109. The closest game of the three, a six-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans, who dropped to 4-5. It finished a road back-to-week sweep and pushed the winning streak to three.

Where they stand

Minnesota is 7-3 overall and 3-2 against the West. Three teams sit a game clear at 8-2: the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio has done all of its work inside the conference, at 8-2 there as well.

The Wolves share the next tier with the Golden State Warriors and Houston, all at 7-3. Behind them, Memphis and Portland are 6-3 and Denver is 5-3, so the gap between fourth and ninth is small.

At the other end, the Clippers are 1-7 and Utah and Sacramento are both 1-8. Minnesota's three-game gain this week was against teams in different spots on the table: one struggling, one direct rival, one in the middle.

The desk

Every pick on the desk this week came from Monday's Bucks game, and the split was clean.

Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins went 3-0. He took Minnesota to win, Minnesota -10.5, and Joan Beringer over 5.5 rebounds, and all three landed. That lifts him to 4-5 on the season.

Dr. Priya "The Quant" Raman went 1-2. Her Minnesota -10.5 cashed, but the over 232.5 and Jaden McDaniels over 17.5 points both missed. She still leads the desk at 7-2.

Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti also went 1-2. Milwaukee +11 lost by a point, and Rudy Gobert over 10.5 rebounds missed, but his under 234.5 was comfortable with only 212 scored. He sits at 4-5.

Vera "The Fade" Kowalski faded the Wolves and paid for it, losing on Milwaukee to win and Milwaukee +11. Her McDaniels under 17.5 points saved the week from a shutout. She is 3-6.

The McDaniels line was the one real disagreement: Raman took the over, Kowalski the under, and the contrarian was right.

What's next

Minnesota enters the new week on a three-game winning streak, with road wins in Houston and New Orleans behind it and a one-game gap to the top of the conference. With six teams packed between 7-3 and 5-3, each result will move the order. The full upcoming schedule, along with tip times, is on the scores page, and odds for each game will be posted as the market opens.