Alperen Sengun recorded a triple-double, and the Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111 in overtime on Tuesday night in an NBA in-season tournament game in Minneapolis.
Sengun finished with 22 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, while Fred VanVleet added 27 points and 11 assists. Houston, which finished with a 3-0 record in West Group A, secured the group title and advanced to the quarterfinals. Dillon Brooks contributed 22 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 19 points, making 8 of 9 shots.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 29 points and 10 rebounds, but his last-second shot to win the game in regulation bounced in and out of the basket. Julius Randle scored 21 points, and Naz Reid added 19 points off the bench for the Timberwolves, who dropped to 1-2 in West Group A.
The Rockets’ 11-0 run in overtime helped them secure the win. Houston was trailing 105-102 before the run began with a 3-pointer by Amen Thompson and ended with a basket by Sengun, putting the Rockets up 113-105 with 54 seconds left in overtime.
The game was tied 102-102 at the end of regulation.
Randle had given the Timberwolves a 102-97 lead with a driving layup with 3:12 remaining. However, Houston answered with five straight points, including a 3-pointer from VanVleet and a basket from Thompson with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets led 84-78, despite Minnesota finishing the period with an 11-0 run. Edwards scored six points during that stretch, including a three-point play from a layup and free throw with 49.8 seconds remaining.
Houston was ahead 57-47 at halftime.
The Rockets started strong, jumping to a 22-11 lead in the first 6 1/2 minutes. Brooks made a basket off an assist from Sengun to cap the early scoring run.
Minnesota came close, narrowing the gap to 47-46 after a layup by Randle with 2:53 left in the first half. Houston responded with a 10-0 run to extend their lead, with Smith scoring eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers and a 2-point basket. VanVleet finished the run with a driving layup with 26 seconds remaining in the half.
