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Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Rockets

7:00 p.m., Target Center

Where to Watch: Fox Sports North

Where to Listen: 830 WCCO  

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the chance to play spoiler on Monday night at home against the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets are 39-41, a game back from the eighth seed with just two games remaining. This is a must-win game for Houston. 

The Wolves are 28-52, having won their last three. Minnesota is in 13th place in the West.

A few tidbits going into Monday night’s game:

  • Former Wolves wing Corey Brewer is averaging 7.3 points in 20.5 minutes per game with the Rockets this season.
  • Houston will close its season out playing the Wolves and Sacramento Kings. The current eight seed, the Utah Jazz, play the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio needs 27 points in his next two games to eclipse his career-high of 781 points in a season. He did that in 2013-14.

Coming Off Of… 

The Wolves are coming off of a 106-105 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points and made the go-ahead bucket with less than two seconds left. Andrew Wiggins added 23 points. Shabazz Muhammad and Nemanja Bjelica combined for 23 points off the bench, while Zach LaVine pitched in 10.

The Rockets are coming off of a 130-110 road win on Sunday afternoon. James Harden led the way with 40 points and 13 assists. Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley added 19 each, while Jason Terry led the second unit with 11 points.

Last Matchup: 

The Wolves are 0-2 against the Rockets this season. The last game came on March 18 in Houston where the Rockets won 116-111. Harden finished with 29 points and 14 assists. Patrick Beverley added 18 points and 10 assists. Donatas Motiejunas and Michael Beasley finished with 17 points each. Ariza scored 15 points, while Dwight Howard added 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

Towns led the way for Minnesota, finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Wiggins added 21 while shooting 8-for-12. LaVine scored 15, while Rubio added 14. Gorgui Dieng and Muhammad finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Dwight Howard

Towns continues to turn heads around the league on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award.

Towns is averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 54.2 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line.

In five games in April, he’s averaging 18.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. In his two games against Houston, he’s played well, averaging 22 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

Howard is having a bit of a down season, averaging 13.7 points per game – his lowest average since his rookie season. However, he is hauling in 11.8 rebounds per game while swatting 1.6 shots per game. In two games against the Wolves, he’s averaging 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Injuries:

Houston: No injuries to report.

Minnesota: Kevin Garnett (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (foot) are out. 

Projected Starters: 

Houston: PG- Beverley, SG – Harden, SF – Ariza, PF – Motiejunas, C - Howard

Minnesota: PG- Rubio, SG- LaVine, SF- Wiggins, PF- Towns, C- Dieng