Timberwolves at Rockets | 7:00 PM, Toyota Center

Where To Watch: Fox Sports North

Where to Listen 830 WCCO

An unfortunate foul call with 0.3 seconds left in a 101-99 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers has the Wolves entering this matchup with the Houston Rockets on a low note. Minnesota is also pretty banged up right now making a win over the Rockets seem a little improbable at this point. That said this Wolves team has showed the ability to compete with some of the best teams in the NBA this season in exactly these types of situations. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine have carried the torch for Minnesota as of late with Chase Budinger making a meaningful contribution off the bench. It will need a near perfect showing from that group if it has any chance to beat a fairly healthy Houston team on Friday night at Toyota Center.

LAST MEETING

Minnesota has played Houston on three occasions this season and has come up short in each of those games. It’s closest game of the season came when it pushed the Rockets to overtime back in December. James Harden has come up big in every game this season, though he’s had a little bit of trouble getting his shot against Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins, who has improved his game as the season has worn on, scored 30 points in the most recent matchup between the two teams — a 113-102 loss in Houston about a month ago. Minnesota will likely shorthanded as it looks for its first win against the Rockets this season.

THIS WEEK’S RESULTS

Minnesota is 1-2 this week with tough losses to the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers sandwiched between a gutty win over the Utah Jazz. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine have played a ridiculous amount of minutes this week with Wiggins tallying 98 minutes over the last two games. Wiggins said he feels OK and looked just fine as he dropped 27 points in the loss to the Lakers a couple nights ago.

Houston is 2-0 on the week with victories over the Indiana Pacers and the New Orleans Pelicans. That spotless record, coupled with the fact that Dwight Howard is finally back from injury, has the Rockets rolling as they head into a matchup with the Wolves. Houston is still grappling for playoff position and is currently 1.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies. It will be looking for a win over Minnesota to further bolster its resume heading into the postseason.

KEY MATCHUP: ANDREW WIGGINS VS. JAMES HARDEN

These players don’t play the same position and James Harden likely won’t mark Andrew Wiggins on defense. Wiggins, on the other hand, is essentially a lock to defend Harden. Wiggins has consistently guarded the other team’s best player this season and has defended Harden in each matchup against the Rockets this season. Wiggins has actually done a pretty good job containing Harden this season, though Harden snapped for 38 points in the second meeting. He also had a triple double in the most recent meeting. Here’s a look at Harden’s shot chart from previous three matchups.

GAME 1

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Credit: NBA Stats

GAME 2

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Credit: NBA Stats

GAME 3

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Credit: NBA Stats

Minnesota lost each of these contests. Wiggins will need to come up big against Harden again if the Wolves have any chance at winning. He’ll also need to score at a decent clip as he likely goes up against Trevor Ariza. So while the matchup is twofold the most important part comes with what Wiggins does against Harden.

TSR INJURY REPORT

Rockets: Patrick Beverley (wrist), Terrence Jones (ribs), and Kostas Papanikolaou (ankle) are out.

Wolves: Shabazz Muhammad (oblique), Robbie Hummel (hand), and Anthony Bennett (ankle) are out. Ricky Rubio (ankle), Nikola Pekovic (foot), Kevin Garnett (knee), and Gary Neal (ankle) are questionable.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Rockets: PG – Terry, SG – Harden, SF – Ariza, PF – Motiejunas, C – Howard

Wolves: PG – Brown, SG – LaVine, SF - Wiggins, PF – Payne, C – Dieng