Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets
Date: February 6th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App/iHeart Radio
Wolves vs. Rockets: Time to Dig Deep or Go Home
The Timberwolves walked into their five-game homestand riding high, feeling like they finally had their season on track. Five straight wins, including some big-time victories over Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix. It was all lining up perfectly: five straight at home, four of them against bottom-feeders. It should’ve been a launching pad.
Instead, we’ve been watching a team sputter, cough, and try to get the engine started again while losing two of their first three. First, they dropped one to a Wizards team that hadn’t won since New Year’s, then followed it up by letting Keegan Murray torch them for a quarter before rallying late but falling to Sacramento. Wednesday night’s matchup with Chicago? That should’ve been a business trip. And for the first six minutes, it was. Wolves go up 27-6, Edwards is cooking, the Bulls look dead.
And then… yeah, you already know what happened. Minnesota turned into the “let’s make this harder than it needs to be” Wolves again. They let a 21-point lead disappear, let the Bulls hang around, and turned what should’ve been a “play-the-bench-in-the-fourth” type of game into a third-quarter dogfight.
Yes, they ultimately pulled away, and yes, Ant delivered a 49-point masterpiece that felt like a Jordan-at-the-Garden kind of game. But the real question heading into tonight: Did they burn too much energy just to beat the Bulls? Because now, they have no time to recover before facing a rested Rockets team that’s been one of their toughest matchups all season.
Houston: A Real Problem
This is the third time these two teams have faced off this season, and the first two were absolute wars.
- The NBA Cup disaster. The Wolves blew a fourth-quarter lead in Houston, couldn’t get a bucket late, and let the Rockets steal the win in overtime. That one still stings.
- The 16-point miracle comeback. Down double digits in the fourth, the Wolves finally woke up, played some defense, and stole the game late. But that was a game they had no business winning.
Now, both teams are battling for positioning in the West, and let’s be real: if the Wolves want to avoid the play-in and actually host a playoff series, they need this one. The standings are too tight. The margin for error is too small. If they let Houston walk out of Target Center with a win, the Wolves will at best be 2-3 on a homestand that should’ve been 4-1 minimum.
Keys to the Game:
1. The Stifle Tower Needs to Show Up
Rudy Gobert had one of his worst games of the season last time against Houston. Alperen Sengun absolutely cooked him. Post-ups, footwork, pump fakes—Sengun put Gobert in the blender and turned him into a smoothie. If that happens again? Minnesota is toast.
Gobert needs to be locked in from the jump. Contest shots, clean up the glass, make sure Houston doesn’t get a million second-chance points, which was a huge issue in their last meeting. If he lets Sengun get rolling again, it’s going to be a long night.
2. Guard the Three-Point Line (For Real This Time)
Houston bombs away from deep, and let’s be honest: Minnesota’s perimeter defense has been sketchy at best the last few games. The Wizards got too many open looks. The Kings shot the lights out early. The Bulls—yes, the Bulls—had a stretch where they couldn’t miss from three.
The Wolves can’t let that happen against Houston. No lazy closeouts. No unnecessary gambles. Just disciplined, hard-nosed defense. The good news? This team has the defensive wings to make life miserable for the Rockets. Edwards, McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jaylen Clark need to swarm the perimeter, make Houston’s shooters uncomfortable, and force them into bad shots.
3. Keep the Ball Moving, Avoid the Droughts
The Wolves’ random five-minute stretches where they forget how to play offense have been killing them all season. It almost cost them the game against the Bulls when they started settling for contested threes and iso-ball instead of just attacking the rim.
This offense bogs down too easily when things stop flowing. No Randall means no “bully-ball” post-ups. No DiVincenzo means fewer instant threes. So the Wolves have to manufacture good looks. That means:
- Move the ball. Don’t just dribble for 12 seconds and launch a bad shot.
- Attack the rim. Force Houston to collapse, create kick-outs, and get to the line.
- Play smart. No sloppy passes and out-of-control drives to the basket.
4. Anthony Edwards Needs to Be Superman (Again)
The Wolves are missing 40+ points of offense without Randall and DiVincenzo. And last night, Edwards did what superstars do—he took over. The 49-point game was one of the best performances of his career, but can he follow it up on tired legs?
The Wolves need at least 30 from him tonight. That might be asking a lot, but this is the type of game where franchise players prove their worth. The Rockets will throw multiple defenders at him, try to trap him early, and dare the rest of the Wolves to beat them.
So, Edwards needs to:
- Stay aggressive. Attack the rim, force the refs to make calls.
- Stay efficient. No hero-ball threes when his legs are shot.
- Trust his teammates. Set guys up when Houston over-commits to stopping him.
Oh, and maybe, just maybe, the refs could actually give him some respect? While he did shoot 18 free throws against Chicago thanks to his focus on attacking the rim, there were more than a few times he got absolutely hacked without a whistle. Can we at least pretend this guy is an All-Star?
Final Thoughts: This Is a Must-Win
Let’s be blunt: if the Wolves lose this game, the homestand is officially a failure. No sugarcoating it. This was supposed to be the stretch that vaulted them into a top-four seed conversation. Instead, they’d be looking at 2-3 in a five-game stretch against mostly beatable teams.
Winning tonight keeps them in the fight. It keeps them within striking distance of the top seeds. It keeps the confidence rolling. And maybe, just maybe, it keeps us from going insane wondering which version of this team is going to show up every night.
Bottom line: No excuses. No messing around. Just find a way to win.
