Wolves in complete control, blow out Rockets

(Field Level Media) Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 22 points as part of a well-rounded performance and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 122-95 win over the Houston Rockets yesterday.

Towns added eight rebounds and six assists while Edwards dished out five assists. Both shot 8 for 17 from the floor for the Timberwolves, who shot 52.3 percent and scored 60 points in the paint in the opener of a four-game road trip.

Naz Reid, who 3-of-6 3-point attempts, and Jalen McDaniels tallied 16 points apiece for the Timberwolves while Rudy Gobert added a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Jalen Green led the Rockets with 20 points while Alperen Sengun added 19, with his streak of 20-point games snapped at seven. Jabari Smith Jr. paired 16 points with nine rebounds for Houston, which has lost four of its last six.

Leading by 10 at the break, the Timberwolves ceded no ground in the third quarter. McDaniels and Mike Conley hit timely 3-pointers as Minnesota shot 55 percent in the period, with Edwards and Towns scoring seven points apiece. Even with Green scoring 10 points in the frame, and with the Timberwolves committing five turnovers, the Rockets trailed 84-72 entering the final period.

Just over four minutes into that frame, that deficit swelled to 22 when Minnesota answered a Cam Whitmore dunk with a Towns layup, a Jordan McLaughlin 3pointer and a breakaway dunk from Gobert that pushed the Timberwolves' lead to 100-78 with 7:59 remaining.