WinView Games Playbook: Rockets vs Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Houston Rockets - 10.5 Total- 214.5

The Rockets and Timberwolves face off in Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff matchup wirth the Rockets looking to take a two game series lead.  The Rockets won Game 1 of the series 104-101 with James Harden scoring a game high 44 points with four rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Clint Capela also had a big game for the Rockets, scoring 24 points with 12 rebounds, one assists, one steal and three blocks.  The Timberwolves were lead in scoring by Andrew Wiggins with 18 points.  Minnesota's backcourt found themselves in foul trouble which lead to both Derrick Rose and Jamal Crawford playing 24 and 26 minutes off the bench.  Rose scored 16 points with two rebounds and four assists while Crawford chipped in with 15 points, two rebounds and two assists.  Both Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were big let downs in this one as Butler scored just 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting while Towns scored just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting.  If the Timberwolves hope to win Game 2 they will need bigger performances from both of their All-Star players.

Game Play Predictions

Houston Rockets

• The Rockets, despite their fast paced offense, actually ranked just 14th in pace of play this season, averaging 99.7 possesions per game.  The Timberwolves ranked 22nd in pace of play, averaging 98.3 possesions per game.  
• During Game 1 the Rockets and Timberwolves averged 95.7 possesions which ranks them as the second slowest paced series in the playoffs.so far with only the Cavs and Pacers playing slower.
• The Rockets offense is centered around James Harden who shot 15-from-26 from the field and was 7-for-12 from three-point range.
• Harden lead the NBA in free-throw attempts this season, averaing 10.1 free-throws per game while shooting 85.8-percent from the line.
• With the current starting five Harden leads the group with a 32.5-percent usage rate.  Clint Capela is second with a 21.4-percent usage rate.
• Capela benefits greatly from the missed shots of Houston as five of his 12 rebounds in Game 1 were on the offensive end
• Chris Paul struggled from the floor in Game 1 but was a 46-percent shooter during the regular season while shooting 38-percent from three-point range.
• The Timberwolves struggled to defend the point guard position this season and a bounce back game from Paul should be in the cards.
• Off the bench Eric Gordon should see around 30 minutes a night and provide scoring from three-point range.  This season Gordon averaged 14.1 shots per game with 8.8 of those shots coming from beyond the arc. Gordon shot 35.9-percent from three-point range this season.
• Both P.J. Tucker and Trevor Ariza will play 30+ minutes but neither play a major role in the offense and act mostly as three-point bail out options.

Players To Watch

Minnesota Timberwolves

• The Timberwolves ranked 22nd in pace during the regular season which will slow down a Rockets offense that ranked second in point per game with 112.4.
• The Timberwolves themselves ranked eighth in points per game, averaging 109.5 points per contest. 
• Minnesota's head coach Tom Thibodeau is notorius for playing his starting unit all the minutes they can handle and collectively their starting five played the most minutes per game together this season.
• Jimmy Butler ranked second, Andrew Wiggins ranked ninth and Karl-Anthony Towns ranked 14th in minutes per game this season.
• Minnesota's top players really struggled in Game 1 with Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns combining for just 21 points while shooting just 35-percent from the floor.  
• The Rockets struggled to defend opposing shooting guards this season but Butler averaged just 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 39.6-percent from the floor which are all well below his seasonal averages.
• Karl-Anthony Towns has dominated his matchup against the Rockets this season, averaging 23.8 points, 14.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game..
• Andrew Wiggins ranks second in usage rate on the team amongst the starting the five and averaged 16.6 points in five games against the Rockets this season. 
• With the Rockets making a concerted effort to bottle up Jimmy Butler the Timberwolves will likely rely on Wiggins a bit more in Game 2.
• Jeff Teague likely has the toughest matchup of the starting five as he draws Chris Paul's tough defense.  Teague got in foul trouble in Game 1 which lead to him playing just 29 minutes.  Despite the 29 minutes of playing time he still nearly notched a triple-double with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
• Taj Gibson will not get much usage on the offensive end as he plays more of a traditioanl power forward given his limited perimeter game.  He has the size advantage on Trevor Ariza who is playing the power forward position for the Rockets and that should allow for him to have the advantage on the glass and in the paint. 
• Off the bench we saw Jamal Crawford and Derrick Rose both have big Game 1 performances.  I expect to see both players playing somewhere in the low-20s again in Game 2 but it is difficult to count on similar production.

Players To Watch