Streak snapped in Minnesota

Houston had won eight straight and still gave up 136 at home on Friday night, because Minnesota put seven different players at 15 points or more and never let the scoring load sit on one star. Anthony Edwards finished with 22, and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. added 23 off the bench. (apnews.com) The game stayed tight until the last minute, even after Minnesota led by 10 with about four minutes left. Houston cut it to 132-128 on an 8-2 burst, then Edwards answered with a late 3-pointer that gave Minnesota breathing room. (nba.com) This was not a defensive grind dressed up as a big result. Minnesota shot 51 for 89 from the field and 15 for 30 from 3-point range, while Houston shot 53 for 87 overall but just 4 for 19 from deep, which is how a team can score 132 and still lose. (basketball-reference.com) Houston’s best player on the night was Amen Thompson, and he turned in a career-high 41 points. Kevin Durant scored 33, but the Rockets’ outside shooting disappeared in the fourth quarter, when they went 1 for 8 from 3-point range. (abcnews.com, basketball-reference.com) Minnesota did this without Julius Randle, who missed his second straight game with right hand soreness. Instead of replacing one 20-point scorer with another, the Timberwolves spread the offense across the whole rotation and got a win that looked more like a playoff team solving a problem in real time. (espn.com) The timing is why this landed hard. As of Friday night, Houston had already clinched a playoff berth and was still fighting for seeding, while Minnesota was sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference and trying to avoid slipping into the Play-In Tournament. (nba.com, abcnews.com) That makes the scoreline look less random than it first seems. One team came in on an eight-game heater, the other came in needing one more clean, high-level offensive night before the regular season closed, and Minnesota got exactly that in Houston. (newsday.com, nba.com) Now both teams head to Sunday with something still on the line. Minnesota hosts New Orleans, Houston hosts Memphis, and the regular season ends with the Timberwolves trying to lock down their place and the Rockets still sorting out where they will open the postseason. (espn.com, sports.yahoo.com)