The Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets meet Sunday in game one of the first round of the National Basketball Association playoffs at the Toyota Center. Can the T-Wolves pull off a big upset tonight in Game 1 of the Conference Quarterfinals or will the Houston Rockets roll? The two teams faced off four times during the regular season, with the Rocket sweeping the series 4-0.
The series comes to Minneapolis on Saturday, April 21, as the Timberwolves host the Rockets for Game 3 at 6:30 p.m.at Target Center.
Apart from the two point guards, they have center Clint Capela, who had the best field goal percentage in the regular season, while also nearly averaging at least two blocks per game.
Minnesota needed a last-day, overtime win against the Nuggets to earn a spot in the playoffs, and despite the talent on the Timberwolves roster, they can't shoot enough to keep up with Houston and certainly don't play the kind of defense that can slow the Rockets.
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Houston Rockets added Chris Paul at the start of the season and ended with a franchise-best tally of 65 wins and home court advantage for the playoffs. Of the Timberwolves' 82 games, 45 have finished over the O/U total. And while everyone is picking the Rockets to make it out of this series, the real question is whether or not they'll be able to pose Golden State a problem.
First things first: The Minnesota Timberwolves are not merely happy to be in the playoffs for the first time since 2004, despite the prevailing narrative regarding their presence.
Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said the backcourt tandem of James Harden and Chris Paul shouldn't be judged based exclusively on the team's postseason performance. Minnesota shot 47.1 percent from the floor and hit nine of 23 three point attempts to offset a 47-40 beating on the boards. Here are three takeaways from a jam-packed Game 1. Also, the Timberwolves rank fourth in offensive rebounding percentage (24.4 percent), while the Rockets rank third in defensive rebounding percentage (79.9 percent). Expect P.J. Tucker, Gerald Green and Joe Johnson to soak up additional minutes. Houston, even with Gordon, Capela and Anderson questionable along with Mbah a Moute out until early May have a terrific second unit.
If Sunday's Game 1 was any indication, we might have an exciting series no matter the duration. The Wolves have to cut off penetration, contain pick and rolls and shooters off the line.
