Timberwolves beat Rockets 117-107 in Houston on Wednesday, a win built on the perimeter scoring of LaMelo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu and finished by Jonathan Kuminga in the final two minutes. Ball scored 20 points on 4-for-7 shooting from three, while Dosunmu added 21 points and six assists; together they combined for 41 points and 12 assists.
Houston shot 55% in the opening quarter and held a lead inside the first period, but the game tilted on two areas Minnesota controlled: 15-of-35 shooting from behind the arc and 33 points generated from Houston's 18 turnovers.
Timberwolves beat Rockets down the stretch
Ball pushed Minnesota to a 104-98 lead with a 3-pointer, an assist on a Jaylen Clark 3 and a driving layup, the last of those coming with 4:53 left to play. Kuminga then hit a corner 3 and followed with a second-chance basket that made it 111-104 with 1:51 remaining.
His final 3-pointer, taken in front of the visiting bench with less than a minute left, ended Houston's chances. Kuminga finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Bones Hyland scored 19 off the Minnesota bench.
Houston's turnovers and Sengun's triple-double
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 21 points, 10 of them in the first quarter, but he picked up his third foul with 15 seconds left in that frame. Alperen Sengun posted his 13th career triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and Fred VanVleet added 18 points.
The 18 Houston turnovers were the costliest part of the night, with Minnesota converting them into 33 points. Reed Sheppard scored 14 for the Rockets, including the 3-pointer that knotted the game at 44 after Kuminga missed a dunk.
A first half of eight ties and 14 lead changes
The teams combined for eight ties and 14 lead changes before halftime, and 15 ties and 26 lead changes across the full game. Sheppard's early 3-pointer and a transition basket off a Minnesota turnover gave Houston a 25-23 lead at the 2:47 mark of the first.
Durant's third foul reshaped the end of that quarter: Minnesota answered with a jumper and a layup to lead 33-30 after one. Amen Thompson's two free throws with less than a second on the clock sent the teams into halftime tied at 57.
Analysis: where the game was decided
This section is analysis. The final margin tracks most closely to the turnover ledger. Houston's 18 giveaways produced 33 Minnesota points, and the Timberwolves' 15 made 3-pointers kept the floor open for Ball and Dosunmu in the closing minutes.
Kuminga's late shot-making mattered because Houston kept answering earlier runs, as the 26 lead changes suggest. Minnesota's separation came from corner 3-pointers and second-chance possessions rather than one sustained surge.
The original report is from gmanetwork.com.
