The Houston Rockets are coming off a successful 3-0 road trip, which they capped with a 128-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday. This victory extended their winning streak to four games since their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals. During this streak, the Rockets’ offense has found its rhythm.
Houston will now begin a five-game homestand, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The Rockets are shooting 48.1 percent during their win streak, including an impressive 57.4 percent on shots inside the 3-point arc. While the team has already been one of the top defensive squads, their offensive struggles earlier in the season had held them back.
“We had the same looks against OKC in Las Vegas and missed those same looks,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “It would have been nice to have them that night against a team that loads up the paint and tries to make you prove it.
Guys are shooting with confidence, putting in the work. We’ve had some days to get some legs up under us and, yeah, have had some big shooting nights lately. And, obviously, when you play defense at the level we are and make shots, you have good results.”
The Rockets won their final two road games without key forwards Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Tari Eason (leg), with both players’ status for the Timberwolves game unknown.
Despite these absences, the Rockets’ depth has stepped up, especially from the starting backcourt of Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet, who combined for 55 points against the Pelicans. Reserve Cam Whitmore also had a breakout performance, scoring a career-high 27 points.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, had been on a strong stretch with six wins in seven games before a 26-point loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 19. This loss sparked a three-game losing streak, which they broke with a 105-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas. The Timberwolves are now back above .500.
Minnesota made significant moves in the offseason, trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks while adding Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. However, the new roster has taken some time to gel.
Anthony Edwards continues to be the team’s star, and his clutch performance helped Minnesota hold off a late comeback from the Mavericks. Despite Edwards’ heroics, the Timberwolves remain one of the bottom-10 offenses in the league, and the team is still figuring things out.
“We’ve got a good group of guys,” Edwards said. “It’s all about having patience. It’s a different team so we’ve got to have patience to be able to get it together. Sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks bad and we’re still trying to figure it out. I think patience is what’s going to take us over the top. Being able to wait and figure it out, and once we figure it out, we’ll be all right.”
