Wolves record:18-41
Box Score
Stephen Litel/Minnesota Score posted game notes after each quarter
Facing another much taller opponent, the Wolves played Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets even for nearly 2 1/2 quarters Sunday night.
Then they crumbled as the Rockets used a 17-0 third-quarter run to turn a 64-64 tie into a 105-94 blowout at Target Center.
That makes it six straight losses and nine in a row at home for the Wolves (18-41), who dropped to 1-8 since star center Al Jefferson went down with a season-ending knee injury. They have lost their past three games by 17, 20 and a deceptively close 11 points.
Even so, Foye, who scored a game-high 24 points, said he hasn’t seen any of his teammates throwing in the towel.
Minnesota has increased its scoring without Jefferson, but at the expense of its defense. Coach Kevin McHale has lamented the soaring shooting percentages from opposing offenses, the result of too many wide open jump shots and easy layups.
It was more of the same on Sunday evening, when the Rockets opened the game a perfect 7-for-7 and made 12 of their first 14 shots. Artest capped that start with a soft jumper for a 25-15 lead in the first quarter. Houston shot 53 percent for the game.
The deciding run came in the third period, when Houston outscored Minnesota 17-0 over a six-minute stretch and never looked back.
Al Jefferson’s absence at the center position forced Minnesota to adjust the starting lineup with Jason Collins squaring off against Ming. Sebastian Telfair also missed the game with a strained groin muscle, which led to McHale starting veteran guard Kevin Ollie. Ming only attempted seven shots on the night but reached the free throw line seven times, where he was perfect en route to 17 points in the win.
The Rockets outscored the Wolves 46-36 inside the paint and 38-34 on the boards. Kevin Love only tallied three rebounds while battling the strong frontcourt of Ming and Luis Scola…
—It was an unusual night for the Wolves starters. Only one of them, Randy Foye, played during the fourth quarter; Kevin Love and Ryan Gomes were two of the starters who warmed the pine during that stretch. Gomes scored 11 points in the first quarter on aggressive play and sharp shooting, but went scoreless for the rest of the game. Love finished with just three rebounds, matching his second-lowest total for the season. Love’s season low on rebounds? Two, against the Houston Rockets.
Unlike Yao or Artest or Battier or, heck, Mutombo, when you hear someone utter Brooks it’s unlikely you know who in the world they’re talking about. But Sunday, Brooks – as in second-year guard Aaron Brooks – was a main factor in Houston’s victory. Loyal Wolves fans should not be shocked by this, as Brooks’ lone other career double-double came here Dec. 20.
