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Ridnour set the tone early. He led the way during a first quarter in which Minnesota shot 68.4 percent. Ridnour scored 10 of his 22 points in the first and began the game shooting 4-for-4 as the Wolves—who haven’t always started strong at home this season—took a 33-25 lead heading into the second.
In the second half, Minnesota opened up its biggest lead of the night at 62-46 early in the third and held a double-digit advantage through much of the third. Holding Martin to 1-of-10 shooting in the game—he scored 31 and 29 points, respectively, in the teams’ previous two meetings—the Wolves continued to keep its separation until the fourth when Houston made its run.
Lowry made his move with 8:22 left. The Rockets shifty point guard cut the lead to seven with a driving lay-up, nailed a 3-pointer and added a finger roll at the 5:03 mark to cut Minnesota’s lead to 88-85.
But the Wolves responded, with Ridnour and Love hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and Rubio driving for a lay-up with 2:25 remaining to quickly extend Minnesota’s lead to 98-91.
Coach Rick Adelman said the team is learning to stay mentally tough, even during points in the game when opponents make their runs. The key, Adelman said, is continuing to play with confidence.
“They’re staying with it more; they’re not hanging their heads when someone goes on a run,” Adelman said. “They’ve got to play through that.”