Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Nov. 26, 2024. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Every time the Timberwolves made a run, the Houston Rockets punched right back.
Minnesota rallied from an 18-point third-quarter deficit to force overtime, but the Rockets scored 12 unanswered in the extra session on their way to a 117-111 victory in an NBA Cup group-play game Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
The Wolves scored the first three points of overtime on a Rudy Gobert free throw and a Nickeil Alexander-Walker tip-in. But Amen Thompson answered with a 3-pointer, Jabari Smith Jr. scored in the paint, Alperen Sengun drilled a 3 and Dillon Brooks and Sengun each got a bucket inside to put Houston up 113-105 with 54 seconds remaining. That would do it.
The Wolves (8-9) fell behind by as many as 18 points in the third quarter but put together a furious rally over the final 16 minutes to take a lead late in the fourth quarter. Rob Dillingham's 3-pointer got Minnesota within a point, and the Wolves took a lead with 4 minutes, 46 seconds remaining when Anthony Edwards made a pair of free throws.
Edwards finished with a team-high 27 points.
Dillingham, who put together a nice game with 10 points in 24 minutes, hit a runner for a 100-97 lead, but his turnover with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter allowed Amen Thompson to knot the game at 102-102 with a transition dunk. Edwards drove into the paint and had a look at a game-winning bucket, but it rimmed out to set up overtime.
Donte DiVincenzo got his second straight start in place of Mike Conley, who missed his third consecutive game due to a toe sprain. But DiVincenzo struggled, shooting just 1 of 5 and committing three turnovers. There was a particularly brutal stretch during the third quarter when he fouled away from the ball defensively, resulting in a free throw for Fred VanVleet, and turned it over the ensuing offensive possession to Jalen Green, who threw down a dunk in transition to make it 70-58.
Shortly after, the Rockets (13-6) took their largest lead of the night, and DiVincenzo didn't see the court again after that stretch. VanVleet was an issued for the Wolves, and he finished with a game-high 29 points.