Game ID: 22400801
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Houston Rockets
Friday, February 21, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 48 20 30 23 121MIN 38 29 26 22 115
HOU vs MIN ScoutingHOU vs MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT VanVleet missed 3 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 18 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 51 since 10/23, out tonight
OUT Jef. Green missed 3 since 2/03, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 2/04 after 3, 34 min since (105% of 32)
BACK Sheppard back 2/01 after 6, 17 min since (137% of 12)
BACK Landale back 2/06 after 2, 14 min since (121% of 12)
NEW Thompson 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Eason 24 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Whitmore 15 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Adams 15 to 22 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/09 · back-to-backOUT VanVleet missed 4 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 19 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 52 since 10/23, out tonight
OUT Jef. Green missed 4 since 2/03, returns tonight: 20 min (170% of 12)
BACK Sengun back 2/04 after 3, 35 min since (110% of 32)
BACK Sheppard back 2/01 after 6, 15 min since (122% of 12)
BACK Landale back 2/06 after 2, 14 min since (121% of 12)
NEW Thompson 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Eason 24 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Whitmore 15 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Adams 15 to 22 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/12 · 2 days' restOUT VanVleet missed 5 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 20 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 53 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 2/04 after 3, 27 min since (85% of 32)
BACK Landale back 2/06 after 2, 19 min since (165% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 2/09 after 4, 20 min since (170% of 12)
NEW Thompson 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Brooks 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Eason 24 to 31 min over the last 3
NEW Whitmore 15 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Adams 15 to 21 min over the last 3
HOU availability going into 2/13 · back-to-backOUT VanVleet missed 6 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 21 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 54 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 2/04 after 3, 29 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Landale back 2/06 after 2, 19 min since (165% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 2/09 after 4, 20 min since (170% of 12)
NEW Thompson 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Eason 24 to 31 min over the last 3
NEW Whitmore 15 to 24 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/21 · 7 days' restOUT VanVleet missed 7 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 22 since 1/03, returns tonight: 38 min (131% of 29)
OUT Dante missed 55 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Landale back 2/06 after 2, 18 min since (155% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 2/09 after 4, 20 min since (178% of 12)
NEW Eason 24 to 31 min over the last 3
NEW Whitmore 15 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 13 to 22 min over the last 3
HOU availability going into 2/22 · back-to-backOUT VanVleet missed 8 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 56 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/21 after 22, 38 min since (131% of 29)
BACK Jef. Green back 2/09 after 4, 20 min since (178% of 12)
NEW Thompson 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Eason 24 to 30 min over the last 3
NEW Holiday 13 to 21 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/25 · 2 days' restOUT VanVleet missed 9 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 57 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/21 after 22, 34 min since (116% of 29)
BACK Jef. Green back 2/09 after 4, 21 min since (184% of 12)
NEW Thompson 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 13 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Landale 12 to 17 min over the last 3
HOU availability going into 2/26 · back-to-backOUT VanVleet missed 10 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Adams missed 2 since 2/22, returns tonight: 19 min (128% of 15)
OUT Dante missed 58 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/21 after 22, 33 min since (115% of 29)
NEW Eason 24 to 31 min over the last 3
NEW Holiday 13 to 22 min over the last 4
NEW Jef. Green 12 to 19 min over the last 3
HOU availability going into 3/01 · 2 days' restOUT VanVleet missed 11 since 2/03, returns tonight: 35 min (97% of 36)
OUT Dante missed 59 since 10/23, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/21 after 22, 33 min since (114% of 29)
BACK Adams back 2/26 after 2, 19 min since (128% of 15)
NEW Holiday 13 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Jef. Green 12 to 19 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 4 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 12 since 1/17, out tonight
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 19 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 17 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 5 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 13 since 1/17, out tonight
NEW Reid 27 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 17 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 6 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 14 since 1/17, out tonight
OUT Conley missed 2 since 2/08, out tonight
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/13 · back-to-backOUT Randle missed 7 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 15 since 1/17, out tonight
OUT Conley missed 3 since 2/08, out tonight
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/21 · 7 days' restOUT Randle missed 8 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 16 since 1/17, out tonight
OUT Conley missed 4 since 2/08, returns tonight: 24 min (98% of 25)
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 19 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/23 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 9 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 2 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 17 since 1/17, out tonight
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 24 min since (98% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/24 · back-to-backOUT Randle missed 10 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 3 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 18 since 1/17, out tonight
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 28 min since (113% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/27 · 2 days' restOUT Randle missed 11 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 4 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 19 since 1/17, returns tonight: 23 min (90% of 26)
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 23 min since (94% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 16 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Randle missed 12 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 5 since 2/13, out tonight
BACK DiVincenzo back 2/27 after 19, 23 min since (90% of 26)
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 24 min since (97% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 15 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 109, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 24 free throws a game; Green at 20 and Sengun at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without VanVleet (7 straight), Smith Jr. (22 straight). 7 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 34 and Reid at 19 a game. Without Randle (8 straight), DiVincenzo (16 straight), Conley (4 straight). 7 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Houston 110, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
2/08 @ DAL 105-116 — HOU notes
HOU lost 105-116. HOU took 17 more shots (100 to 83), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to DAL's 47%, 8 of 28 from three, and got to the line 22 times to DAL's 34. Sengun led with 30 (11 of 19, 1 of 3 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Green added 24, Thompson 20. Q3 was theirs, 33-24, the deficit cut from 17 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 92-72 against them. Thompson's -12 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/09 vs TOR 94-87 — HOU notes
HOU won 94-87. HOU shot 36% (31 of 86) to TOR's 37%, 10 of 38 from three, and went to the line 28 times to TOR's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 13. HOU turned it over 15 times to TOR's 10. The glass went 58-48 for them. Brooks led with 19 (5 of 16, 2 of 7 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Ja. Green added 18, Je. Green 14. The hinge was Q4, 36-24: HOU came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 7. HOU trailed 37-42 at the half and won the second half 57-45. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
2/12 vs PHX 119-111 — HOU notes
HOU won 119-111. HOU shot 47% (46 of 97) to PHX's 52%, 13 of 42 from three, and went to the line 24 times to PHX's 11 — 14 points from the stripe to their 9. HOU turned it over 11 times to PHX's 17. Eason led with 25 (11 of 16, 3 of 5 from three); Green added 22, Thompson 18. The hinge was Q4, 35-19: HOU came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 8. HOU trailed 51-57 at the half and won the second half 68-54. Eason was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/13 vs GSW 98-105 — HOU notes
HOU lost 98-105. HOU shot 41% (38 of 93) to GSW's 39%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 18 times to GSW's 27. HOU turned it over 20 times to GSW's 10, and GSW turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 52-42 for them. Holiday led with 25 (10 of 20, 2 of 9 from three); Landale added 13, Williams 11. Q4 was theirs, 28-23, the deficit cut from 12 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 82-70 against them. Sengun's -19 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/21 vs MIN 121-115 — HOU notes
HOU won 121-115. HOU shot 50% (42 of 84) to MIN's 45%, 13 of 26 from three, and went to the line 32 times to MIN's 26 — 24 points from the stripe to their 22. HOU turned it over 20 times to MIN's 9, and MIN turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 48-35 for them. Green led with 35 (12 of 24, 5 of 11 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Sengun added 24, Thompson 17. The hinge was Q1, 48-38: from level to 10 ahead. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/22 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 126, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Clarkson at 20 and Collins at 19 a game. Without Sexton (7 straight), Hendricks (52 straight), Tshiebwe (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 107, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Green at 22 and Sengun at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without VanVleet (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to Utah's 126 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and Utah minus-1. Call it Houston 115, Utah 112, Utah keeping it close.
2/25 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Green at 22 and Sengun at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without VanVleet (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Lillard at 27 and Antetokounmpo at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Portis (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-4 a night and Milwaukee minus-6. Call it Houston 112, Milwaukee 110, Milwaukee keeping it close.
2/26 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Green at 23 and Sengun at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without VanVleet (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 30 from three, 20 free throws a game; Fox at 21 and Johnson at 15 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-5 a night and San Antonio minus-13 and the arc, Houston at 37 percent from three to San Antonio's 30. Call it Houston 114, San Antonio 109.
3/01 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Green at 23 and Sengun at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without VanVleet (11 straight). 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; LaVine at 26 and DeRozan at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Houston 115, Sacramento 112, Sacramento keeping it close.
2/08 vs POR 114-98 — MIN notes
MIN won 114-98. MIN shot 52% (43 of 82) to POR's 40%, 10 of 28 from three, and went to the line 28 times to POR's 22 — 18 points from the stripe to their 17. McDaniels led with 30 (12 of 17, 6 of 7 at the line); Reid added 23, Alexander-Walker 21. The hinge was Q4, 38-14: MIN came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 16. MIN trailed 47-60 at the half and won the second half 67-38. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
2/10 @ CLE 107-128 — MIN notes
MIN lost 107-128. MIN shot 40% (36 of 90) to CLE's 51%, 12 of 39 from three, and went to the line 30 times to CLE's 20 — 23 points from the stripe to their 15. Edwards led with 44 (13 of 28, 8 of 15 from three, 10 of 13 at the line); Dillingham added 13, Gobert 12. Q4 was theirs, 29-24, the deficit cut from 26 to 21, but the other 3 periods went 104-78 against them. Alexander-Walker's -33 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/12 vs MIL 101-103 — MIN notes
MIN lost 101-103. MIN took 15 more shots (103 to 88), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 38% to MIL's 44%, 10 of 44 from three. The glass went 59-48 for them. Edwards led with 28 (10 of 33, 4 of 17 from three); Reid added 22, Gobert 20. Q2 was theirs, 26-15, the deficit cut from 12 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 88-75 against them. Gobert's -13 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/13 vs OKC 116-101 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-101. MIN shot 42% (42 of 99) to OKC's 42%, 12 of 46 from three. Reid led with 27 (11 of 18, 3 of 9 from three); Edwards added 23, McDaniels 21. The hinge was Q1, 37-24: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 19. Shannon Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/21 @ HOU 115-121 — MIN notes
MIN lost 115-121. MIN took 8 more shots (92 to 84), but shot 45% to HOU's 50%, 11 of 38 from three, and got to the line 26 times to HOU's 32. MIN turned it over 9 times to HOU's 20. The glass went 35-48 against them. Edwards led with 37 (13 of 32, 4 of 14 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Reid added 22, McDaniels 21. Q2 was theirs, 29-20, the deficit cut from 10 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 101-86 against them. Alexander-Walker's -13 in 43 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/23 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 43 percent and 28 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 33 and Reid at 21 a game. Without Randle (9 straight), Gobert (2 straight), DiVincenzo (17 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 41 percent from three to Minnesota's 28 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-3 a night and Minnesota minus-1. Call it OKC 113, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
2/24 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Reid at 21 a game. Without Randle (10 straight), Gobert (3 straight), DiVincenzo (18 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Minnesota's 30 and the defense, OKC allowing 110 a night to Minnesota's 117. Call it OKC 118, Minnesota 108, OKC by 10.
2/27 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; James at 27 and Dončić at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Reddish (11 straight), Morris (4 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 29 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Reid at 23 a game. Without Randle (11 straight), Gobert (4 straight), DiVincenzo (19 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 106 a night to Minnesota's 117 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 15 times a game to Minnesota's 11. Call it the Lakers 114, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
2/28 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 19 and Markkanen at 16 a game. Without Markkanen (2 straight), Collins (3 straight), Sexton (10 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 28 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and McDaniels at 20 a game. Without Randle (12 straight), Gobert (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the arc, Utah at 37 percent from three to Minnesota's 31 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 15 times a game to Minnesota's 11. Call it Utah 116, Minnesota 115, Minnesota keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
DB D. Brooks
JG J. Green
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
SA S. Adams
TE T. Eason
MINAE A. Edwards
JC J. Clark
JM J. McDaniels
LG L. Garza
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RD R. Dillingham
TS T. Shannon Jr.
HOU/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jalen Green scores 35 points to lead Rockets past Timberwolves 121-115
HOUSTON -- — Jalen Green scored 35 points, Alperen Sengun added 24 points and 13 rebounds and the Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-115 on Friday night.
Green finished 12 of 24 from the floor and was 5 of 11 on 3-pointers. Amen Thompson finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Houston, which shot 50%, including 13 of 26 on 3-pointers.
Jabari Smith Jr had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench in his first game back after missing 22 games with a broken bone in his left hand.
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points on 13-of-32 shooting, including 4 of 14 on 3-pointers. Edwards scored 25 points in the first half on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3 of 7 on 3-pointers.
Naz Reid had 22 points and eight rebounds, Jaden McDaniels added 21 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 16 points for Minnesota, which shot 45%, including 11 of 39 on 3-pointers.
Takeaways Timberwolves: Mike Conley returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sprained right index finger, but he was in foul trouble for most of the night and finished with five points in 24 minutes.
Rockets: One area that coach Ime Udoka pointed to before the game where Smith’s return would help was rebounding. Houston outrebounded the Timberwolves 48-35.
Key moment Tied at 108, Green made a 3-pointer with five minutes remaining to kickstart Houston’s 9-2 run to open up a seven-point lead with 48 seconds left.
Key stat Edwards was 1 for 6 in the fourth quarter, including 1 of 4 on 3-pointers. He scored 3 points in the quarter as Houston sent double teams at him.
Up next Minnesota hosts Oklahoma City on Sunday night, while Houston travels to Utah on Saturday night.