Rockets Unable To Maintain 20-point Lead In Loss To Timberwolves

 Garrison Mathews connected on a triple assisted by Alperen Sengun with 5 minutes and 40 seconds left in the second quarter. His 3-point basket put the Houston Rockets ahead by 20 points over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But Houston allowed Minnesota to close the half on a 20-4 run. And by the end of the final buzzer, the Rockets had dropped their seventh consecutive game in a 104-96 loss to the Timberwolves Sunday night inside the Toyota Center.

The Rockets' readiness was not an issue against the Timberwolves. Houston put together one of their best quarters by recording 33 points and nine assists during the first period. 

Kevin Porter Jr. set an early tone by scoring 10 of his 25 points (9-of-15 FG, 5-of-9 3PT) during the first quarter. But Alperen Sengun took center stage. 

Sengun scored 18 points during the first half, which led to the Rockets holding a 62-58 lead at halftime. He went scoreless the rest of the night.

Anthony Edwards scored 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting, 3-of-7 from behind the arc. But D'Angelo Russell ignited Minnesota's comeback by scoring 16 of his 22 points during the second half.

Rudy Gobert added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Outside of completing a pair of alley-oops, Jalen Green struggled heavily with his shooting. He finished the night with nine points while shooting 4-of-15 from the field, 1-of-6 from deep. 

With Green struggling, Eric Gordon added 11 points. K.J. Martin came off the bench and added a dozen points and five rebounds.

Following the loss, the Rockets will embark on a four-game west-coast road trip starting on Wednesday in a home-and-home series against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is slated for 9 P.M. CT inside the Golden 1 Center.