Wiggins pours in 28 points as Minnesota halts Houston’s streak
Andrew Wiggins let his shooting do the talking for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
Less than a month after one of their worst losses of the season, Wiggins and the Wolves faced the same situation against the same opponent. But this time, the outcome was much different.
Wiggins, the 21-year-old small forward who in 2014 became just the second Canadian to be taken No 1 in the NBA Draft, scored 28 points to lead Minnesota to a 119-105 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Shabazz Muhammad scored 20 for the Wolves.
James Harden scored 33 points and had 12 assists for Houston, which saw its ninegame winning streak halted.
The Rockets also carried a nine-game winning streak into Minneapolis on Dec 17. The Wolves looked poised to snap it, leading by 12 with two minutes to play. But Houston closed on a 14-2 run to force overtime and ended up winning 111-109.
On Wednesday, Minnesota entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead and immediately stretched it to 20. The Rockets didn’t get closer than 12 the rest of the way.
“Losing a 12-point lead in two minutes, I didn’t think it could be possible but (we) did,” said Minnesota guard Ricky Rubio.
“Tonight we learned our lesson. We kept attacking and especially attacked on defense.”
Rubio tied his own franchise record with 17 assists to go with 10 points. He found Brandon Rush open for four big 3-pointers and keyed Minnesota’s transition game, springing Muhammad for two huge dunks in the third quarter after Houston grabbed a 69-68 lead.
Meanwhile, the Rockets showed signs of fatigue after playing their fifth game in seven nights. The team with the most 3-pointers in the NBA ended the first quarter 0-for-7 from beyond the arc and came up empty on multiple open looks all night.
“We missed a lot of uncharacteristic shots,” said Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said.
“We normally get stops and itfuelsouroffenseontheother side, but you know, they did a great job of being aggressive on us.”
Wiggins scored 15 in the first quarter as the game followed a familiar script, with Minnesota taking a doubledigit lead before seeing it disappear.
Nene hit a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer to pull Houston to 55-54 at the break.
The teams traded the lead until Anderson’s 3-pointer put the Rockets on top 69-68 midway through the third quarter, but after a timeout the Wolves went on a 17-4 run, point
Muhammad continued his hot scoring, reaching double figures for the seventh time in his last nine games.
Mostly known for his energetic dunks in the transition game, he drained two of three 3-pointers, including a dagger from the corner that pushed Minnesota’s lead to 15 with less than two minutes to play and sent Houston’s starters to the bench for good.
“I’ve been really working on my 3 and it’s really been paying off,” said Muhammad, who’s just 21-for-53 from beyond the arc this year.
“I just have that confidence now where every single time I line up for a 3, I think it’s going to go in.”
Harden continues to post eye-popping numbers as he asserts himself as one of the NBA’s most dominant offensive players. On
Wednesday was his third straight game with at least 30 points and 10 assists. It’s the third time this year he’s put together such a streak.
“He’s tough because he does everything,” said Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau.
“You’re not going to be able to stop a guy like that. You have to make him work, and I thought our guys did that.”