Wolves at Rockets NBA Preview for 2/17/12
The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to turn another corner to remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture. The Houston Rockets are coming off a signature win to shake off a recent skid. The fourth and final meetings between the Timberwolves and Rockets will be played Friday night in Houston, and the Timberwolves have been a thorn in the Rockets’ side, having won two of the first three meetings (including the last meeting in Houston). Minnesota won the last meeting at home, 100-91, Feb. 4. The latest NBA spreads show Houston favored by five on their home floor.
Minnesota Timberwolves (14-16) @ Houston Rockets (17-13), 8 p.m. ET
The Timberwolves shook off a four-game losing streak with a 102-90 home win over Charlotte Wednesday night, led by Kevin Love’s 30 points and 18 rebounds. The Wolves have lost their last two road contests after winning the previous three and are a respectable 6-6 mark away from home. Love (25.5 ppg, 14.1 rpg) and rookie Ricky Rubio (10.7 ppg, 8.6 apg, 2.4 spg) have raised the excitement level in Minnesota playing within Rick Adelman’s up-tempo offensive philosophy. While the team is middle-of-the-pack on both offense and defense, perhaps the one weakness for the team is its average of 16 turnovers per game.
The Rockets, meanwhile, put the brakes on a two-game losing streak with a 96-95 home win over West leader Oklahoma City. Houston has won four of its last five at home and four of six overall to squeeze into third place in the highly competitive Southwest Division. Houston ranks just ahead of Minnesota in scoring offense (97.6 ppg) and just behind Minnesota in rebounding (43.5 rpg). Only three Rockets score in double figures – Kevin Martin (18.3 ppg), Luis Scola (15.0 ppg) and Kyle Lowry (14.8 ppg). Houston, also like Minnesota, struggles a bit with turnovers, averaging more than 15 miscues per contest.
This is a very interesting matchup because you have a more veteran team, Houston, with a coach who used to coach and serve as an executive in Minnesota, taking on a young team being run by the Fromer Houston coach who is instilling some confidence in a roster created in part by Houston’s current coach. Confused yet? Both teams have had lopsided road wins and Minnesota had a close home win. Due to some similarities with these teams, it’s likely that this will be more of a close game than a lopsided one. These two know each other very well by now. Minnesota has been very competitive on the road, while Houston has relatively struggled at home. Martin will be a challenge for the Wolves, and Love will be hard to handle for Houston. However, with the game at home, the Rockets should have a narrow advantage due to its relative experience to control either Love or the perimeter players. The team that hits 100 first will be the winner, and it may be Houston on its own court.
With our free NBA picks we are taking Houston -5 over Minnesota.
