On January 6, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Rockets hosted the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves have a record of 24 wins and 9 losses this season, ranking first in the West, and they are very good at playing critical moments (the difference in the last 5 minutes is within 5 points), and statistics show that after entering the critical moment this season, the Timberwolves have a winning rate of 84.6%! In addition, the Timberwolves' defensive efficiency is 108.7, and they have been the first in the league since the beginning of the season! Although the team's offensive efficiency and average points per game are at the middle and lower levels, they have fewer rounds and can pull opponents into their own rhythm. And in the first phase of the All-Star voting, Edwards ranked sixth in the Western backcourt with 290,000 votes, and Towns ranked tenth in the Western frontcourt with 140,000 votes. According to modeling calculations, the probability of the team entering the playoffs is already 100%, and the probability of locking up the top four is also more than 80%!
The Rockets previously had a record of 17 wins and 15 losses, ranking eighth in the West, and it is worth mentioning that in the first phase of the All-Star voting, Shin Kyung got 335,000 votes, ranking seventh in the Western frontcourt, beating Wembanyama, Holmgren, Towns and others. In addition, in the past 7 games, Shen Jing averaged 28.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2 steals per game, shooting 60.7%, and Shen Jing has scored 30+ games this season has reached 5 games, the first center in team history since Howard to achieve this achievement! Corresponding to this is an all-out burst on the bench, with Ethan 1st in the league in defensive efficiency, 11th in the Tate in defensive efficiency, and 14th in the league in Aaron Holiday in defensive efficiency. Udoka revealed before the game that Eason and Brooks continue to miss due to illness.
And with Jalen Green's slump and Brooks' injury absence, Udoka is indeed changing himself and increasing his bench playing time, especially Whitmore, who scored 12 points in 18 minutes against the Suns and 11 points in 17 minutes against the Nets, with amazing efficiency! Timberwolves starters: Conley + Edwards + McDaniels + Towns + Gobert; Rockets starters: VanVleet + Jalen Green + Tate + Jabari Smith + Shin Jing. At the beginning of the game, Jabari Smith scored three points, Gobert crushed Shen Jing and dunked violently, and Shen Jing immediately responded with a one-arm push! After that, Downs and Jabari Smith scored three points, Shen Jing threw 2+1 in a chic manner, and Gobert was not easy to defend Shen Jing.
VanVleet added a three-pointer in the middle section, Shin Kyung hit back-to-back singles, and Edwards and McDaniels responded with a three-pointer rain. In the second half, Reed attacked strongly, and Walker overtook the score, and Edwards threw 2+1 at the end of the quarter, and the Timberwolves led the Rockets 32-24 in the first quarter. Back in the second quarter, Reed continued to score three points, Jalen Green finally hit a three-pointer, Shin Kyung-made a kill + Holiday walked through Yang in 100 steps, and the Rockets gradually narrowed the difference. Mid-section Conley and McDaniels blossom inside and out. Gobert counterattacked with a flat dunk and scored, Udoka didn't call a timeout, Green Tomahawk split and dunk to stop the bleeding! In the second half, VanVleet hit three points, Shen Jing dunked with one arm, Edwards broke through and took off and smashed the dunk, and Jalen Green hit another three points to stop the bleeding!
At halftime, the Rockets trailed the Timberwolves 46-56, with Shin Kyung scoring 15 points and Green scoring 10 points. On the Timberwolves' side, Edwards had 14 points and Towns had 11 points. At the beginning of the second half, Green hit a three-pointer in the face of Downs' retreat, Edwards ate Shen Jing alone, and Greento responded immediately with a layup! Jabari Smith continued to shoot a three-pointer, Edwards continued to train Jabari Smith, Gobert received a violent dunk in the air, and Green stopped the bleeding with three points at the critical moment! If it weren't for Green, the Rockets would have spent the game early! In the middle of the game, Conley Gobert blossomed inside and out, Towns and Daniels attacked strongly, and the Timberwolves once took a 16-point lead. In the second half, Amen Thompson stopped the bleeding with three points, Li Kaier cut and dunked in the air, and Whitmore scored three points + Holiday scored a basket at the end of the quarter. At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets trailed the Timberwolves 72-84.
In the fourth quarter, Thompson slipped the bottom line and dunked, the Timberwolves Alexander Walker and Reed rained three-pointers, Whitmore broke through the dunk, McLaughlin and Gobert blossomed inside and out, and the difference exceeded 20 points! In the end, the Rockets lost 95-122 to the Timberwolves at home.
Timberwolves statistics, Reed 16 points and 7 rebounds, Lee Kyle 2 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, Edwards 24 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, Gobert 13 points and 12 rebounds, Towns 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, McDaniels 16 points and 3 rebounds, Walker 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Rocket statistics, Jalen Green 20 points and 5 rebounds, Shin Jing 19 points and 5 rebounds, Jabari Smith 16 points and 9 rebounds, Whitmore 11 points. The Rockets really tried their best, the difference in strength was dictatory, and the team still needed Dillon Brooks on the defensive end. In addition, Jalen Green is also improving, the offensive means are more abundant, and the defense is also very active, keep up the good work!