Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets
· National Basketball AssociationAnthony Edwards scores 24 points, West-leading Timberwolves beat Rockets 122-95
Edwards had a relatively quiet game considering he entered the night averaging 36.3 points in his previous four games. He had scored at least 25 points in 10 straight games but went 8 for 17 from the field in 32 minutes Friday. Towns added eight rebounds and six assists.
“Just having that tenacity and physicality, making it difficult on opponents and making every possession a difficult shot,” Towns said. “Just doing more of that and getting back to that, we knew was important.”
Jalen Green led Houston with 20 points, Alperen Sengun had 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. added 16. The Rockets are 2-4 on a seven-game homestand.
“I don’t really know if it was our lack of scoring or quality shots,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “I think they bullied us. It may not have anything to do with our offense, but I thought it was our poorest game from the standpoint of matching physicality and competitiveness and toughness tonight.”
Houston has lost eight of the last nine meetings with Minnesota. The outsized Rockets were outscored 60-46 in the paint and outrebounded 51-39.
“Everybody played great tonight, everybody was happy,” Edwards said. “It was a great overall team win so it was dope.”
Minnesota improved to 25-9. The Timberwolves led by 33 and entered the fourth quarter up 84-72.
“I saw our defense in a lot of different ways,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They were into it. They were being bothersome, and everybody was out there making grimy defensive plays. That’s the way we’ve got to be. It all started with our attention to detail and defense.”
Rockets forward Dillon Brooks remained sidelined for a fifth straight game because of a strained right abdominal oblique.
Houston briefly led in the first quarter but trailed much of the game. Minnesota held a 56-46 lead at halftime.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: At Dallas on Sunday night.
Rockets: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night.
Regular Season Series
MIN leads series 1-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 122 - 95 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 122 - 95 |
| 4th 13.1 |  |
Wendell Moore Jr. defensive rebound | 122 - 95 |
| 4th 13.1 |  |
Boban Marjanovic misses 18-foot two point shot | 122 - 95 |
| 4th 21.1 | |
Luka Garza lost ball turnover (Amen Thompson steals) | 122 - 95 |
Statistics
 MIN |
 HOU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 46-88 | FG | 36-90 |
| 52 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 14-33 | 3PT | 12-32 |
| 42 | Three Point % | 38 |
| 16-20 | FT | 11-15 |
| 80 | Free Throw % | 73 |
| 52 | Rebounds | 38 |
| 9 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 43 | Defensive Rebounds | 31 |
| 31 | Assists | 18 |
| 12 | Steals | 7 |
| 7 | Blocks | 2 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 12 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 18 |
| 20 | Fast Break Points | 8 |
| 60 | Points in Paint | 46 |
| 18 | Fouls | 15 |
| 33 | Largest Lead | 5 |
Houston Rockets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Alperen Sengun, C | Out | Dec 27 |
| Fred VanVleet, G | Out | Sep 22 |
Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Terrence Shannon Jr., G | Out | Dec 27 |
Game Information
Location: Houston, TX
Attendance: 18,055 · Capacity:
2025-26 Northwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oklahoma City |
26 | 5 | .839 | - | L2 |
 Denver |
22 | 9 | .710 | 4 | L1 |
 Minnesota |
20 | 12 | .625 | 6.5 | L2 |
 Portland |
12 | 19 | .387 | 14 | L3 |
 Utah |
12 | 19 | .387 | 14 | W2 |
2025-26 Southwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 San Antonio |
23 | 8 | .742 | - | L1 |
 Houston |
19 | 10 | .655 | 3 | W2 |
 Memphis |
15 | 16 | .484 | 8 | W2 |
 Dallas |
12 | 21 | .364 | 12 | L2 |
 New Orleans |
8 | 25 | .242 | 16 | L3 |
NBA News
Pelicans' Jose Alvarado, Suns' Mark Williams ejected after fight
Suns center Mark Williams and Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado were ejected after getting into a fight in the third quarter Saturday night.
Nets' Cam Thomas back from 20-game absence, scores 30 in win
Cam Thomas scored 30 points in his return after sitting out 20 games because of a left hamstring strain, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-107.
Karl-Anthony Towns scores 36 and Jalen Brunson adds 34 as Knicks hold off struggling Hawks 128-125
— Karl-Anthony Towns scored a season-high 36 points with 16 rebounds, Jalen Brunson had 34 points and the New York Knicks survived Atlanta’s late comeback attempt to beat the slumping Hawks 128-125 on Saturday night.