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National Basketball Association
Houston 117, Minnesota 102
When: 9:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 17, 2019
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #28 Kevin Scott, #62 JB DeRosa
Attendance: 18055

Chris Paul, Clint Capela and James Harden recorded double-doubles, and the host Houston Rockets turned a blistering third-quarter shooting display into a 117-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Paul paired 25 points with 10 assists and matched his single-game high of six 3-pointers, while Capela recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds in grappling with Timberwolves All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists).

Houston improved to 11-2 since the All-Star break by catching fire from the perimeter in the third quarter, connecting on 10 of 18 treys.

Eric Gordon ignited the barrage with consecutive 3-pointers that yielded a 58-51 lead. Harden (20 points, 10 assists) sank a 3-pointer at the 9:23 mark of the third before Paul got hot, drilling four treys in succession to stretch the advantage to 75-58.

When Danuel House Jr. connected from deep with 5:38 left in the period, the Rockets led by 18.

The Rockets finished 21 for 50 from behind the arc. House scored 14 points; Gordon added 12.

Rookie forward Josh Okogie scored 21 points for the Timberwolves, who have dropped 7 of 10. Taj Gibson chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Minnesota.

A quiet individual start for Towns turned explosive down the stretch of the first quarter, starting with a baseline drive and dunk that provided the Timberwolves a 17-15 lead at the 4:19 mark.

Towns followed with a runner and a 3-pointer and went on to score 12 of the final 15 points of the period for Minnesota. The Timberwolves stretched their lead to 34-26 early in the second and, with the Rockets misfiring from deep, had ample opportunity to stretch their advantage.

Despite shooting just 39.2 percent overall and surrendering a plus-nine rebounding advantage to Minnesota by the break, the Rockets hung close.

Houston managed five 3-pointers in the period to stay within range and, when Capela completed a three-point play with 92 seconds remaining in the half, Houston pulled to within two.

After Iman Shumpert drilled a trey with 25.7 seconds left, the Rockets somewhat surprisingly carried a 50-49 lead into the intermission.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Houston
Karl-Anthony Towns 22 Scoring Chris Paul 25
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 Assists James Harden 10
Taj Gibson 10 Rebounds Clint Capela 13
Taj Gibson 7 Free Throws Made Clint Capela 4
Keita Bates-Diop 1 Steals Gerald Green 3
Karl-Anthony Towns 2 Blocks Clint Capela 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 102 41.3 10-32 16-23 22 52 4 5 14
Houston 117 45.7 21-50 10-14 29 44 3 9 10
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Atlanta. The Rockets have a W/L % of .659 after a win and .577 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .469 after a win and .447 after a loss.