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Keys to the Game

Well, this was certainly how I expected this game to turn out. Houston scores 79 points, tying their season low, against a team with more players wearing suits than players suited up, as two guys on 10-day contracts combine for 26 points and 10 rebounds.

You know, just your everyday ridiculous basketball game.

The two most telling stats that have nothing to do with the way they shot the ball really explain why Houston lost. They turned the ball over 20 times and committed 29 fouls, from which Minnesota scored 29 points.

Of course, the real story of the game is the fact that Houston ended up shooting just 32 percent from the floor, while making just eight of their 31 three-pointers. They may have combined for 30 points, but Jeremy Lin and James Harden just had terrible games.

In fact, the only guy who looked poised and ended up having a decent game was Carlos Delfino, who wasn't put back into the game until late in the fourth quarter.

It's another loss in a long string of losses for the Rockets, and they really need to get their offense up and running before they stagnate any longer.

Timberwolves 92, Rockets 79, Final.

Let's take a look at the box score from this one. First the T-Wolves:

Via: NBA.com

And the Rockets:

Via: NBA.com

T-Wolves 92, Rockets 79, Final.

Minnesota dribbles the clock out after the teams trade free throws to finish this one up.

The Wolves won this game. Holy hell.

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) January 20, 2013

T-Wolves 90, Rockets 79, Final.

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Kirilenko has two consecutive tip-ins, which gives him five for the night. It's not every day you see a tip-in qualify as a dagger, but this was a really weird game the whole way around.

T-Wolves 90, Rockets 77 with 0:23 left in the fourth.

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Patrick Beverley's back in. It shouldn't be long before he fouls out, he's guarding Chris Johnson for some strange reason.

T-Wolves 88, Rockets 77 with 1:22 left in the fourth.

Gelabale & Johnson have combined for 24 points on 6 of 9 shooting, including 12 of 15 FTs. #WolvesNation

— MN Timberwolves (@MNTimberwolves) January 20, 2013

T-Wolves 84, Rockets 75 with 3:21 left in the fourth.

Johnson with a block of Parsons' hook shot and a rebound on the put-back attempt. Something tells me he might find a few more days added to that 10-day contract.

T-Wolves 84, Rockets 75 with 3:56 left in the fourth.

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A deep two from Gelabale! These two are having too much fun on the floor tonight.

Of course, Houston's doing their best to make a run after threes from Patrick Patterson and Chandler Parsons.

T-Wolves 84, Rockets 75 with 4:42 left in the fourth.

Even better, Houston's broadcast team has spent the night pronouncing his name "Jell-o Ball." I'm not sure whether that's right or wrong, but it's definitely my preference, and it's probably what his hair feels like.

He's got nine points. 

T-Wolves 80, Rockets 69 with 5:50 left in the fourth.

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For those of you who have yet to see him, Gelabale has a poof of hair that looks like somebody took a bicycle pump to Hasheem Thabeet's smaller, messier hair puff.

Oh, and he's got eight points on the evening after a smooth and-one, plus a foul drawn on Patrick Patterson on the other end.

T-Wolves 79, Rockets 69 with 5:58 left in the fourth.

Now on to the other 10-day contract cat on Minnesota. Gelabale gets a nice two points and then finds Johnson in the paint who gets fouled.

Rubio to Gelabale!

— MN Timberwolves (@MNTimberwolves) January 20, 2013

T-Wolves 74, Rockets 65 with 7:17 left in the fourth.

The alleyist of oops to Chris Johnson and the T-Wolves are being led by a guy who played in the D-League just a few days ago. He's got 10 points in nine minutes on three shots sinking all three of 'em.

5 guys chanting "M-V-P" with Chris Johnson at the line. It's officially over for these chants.

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) January 20, 2013

T-Wolves 71, Rockets 62 with 9:11 left in the fourth.

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Toney Douglas with a heat check before he even turns on the oven, clanking a three-pointer five seconds into the shot clock.

This game is getting incredibly strange.

T-Wolves 67, Rockets 62 with 10:04 left in the fourth.

Andrei Kirilenko leads all players with 17 points, plus six rebounds and two assists, Luke Ridnour has 14 and Derrick Williams and JJ Barea each have 11 points.

Houston is led by the unshakable Carlos Delfino and his 15 points, James Harden with 14 and Greg Smith with 12.

T-Wolves 63, Rockets 59 at the start of the fourth.

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Houston is within four points, despite the fact that they've turned the ball over 18 times and are shooting 33 percent from the floor.

And as everyone would have expected, Toney Douglas sparked the run with an assist and two freebies.

T-Wolves 63, Rockets 59 after the third.

Toney Douglas will check in after a DNP last night and in second half Wednesday. That'll do it. Wolves up 11, 2:42 left in third.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 20, 2013

Or they could have put Patrick Beverley in the game for 12 second before he picked up his sixth foul.

T-Wolves 61, Rockets 52 with 2:09 left in the third.

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Jeremy Lin clanks a three-pointer off the back of the rim, grabs the long offensive rebound, and ends up getting called for the charge as he drives his knee into the chest of Lou Amundson.

It's just not Houston's night.

That being said, they're only down by 11 points with James Harden ready to go nuts in the fourth quarter.

T-Wolves 60, Rockets 49 with 2:42 left in the third.

Nobody on Houston is doing any boxing out, a lot more watching the shot than anything else. 

AK with his 3rd tip-in of the game, puts the #Twolves out to their biggest lead of the night at 56-43.

— MN Timberwolves (@MNTimberwolves) January 20, 2013

T-Wolves 58, Rockets 49 with 3:23 left in the third.

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Jeremy Lin's called for the travel. That's the fourth call against Houston on the game. That, and the fact that they've committed 17 fouls already is killing them.

T-Wolves 54, Rockets 43 with 5:55 left in the third.

Well would you look at that, a three-pointer from Carlos Delfino. That's Houston's first points of the second half, unless that tech from the beginning of the quarter counts toward this half.

T-Wolves 50, Rockets 42 with 7:14 left in the third.

Beverley picks up another foul (his fifth of the game, third of the quarter), sits down, goes off with a few four-letter words and ends up with a technical.

3 quick fouls to begin 3Q for Beverley. He's got 5 now. In comes Lin.

— Jason Friedman (@JasonCFriedman) January 20, 2013

Somehow, he still seems like one of the better options off their bench.

T-Wolves 49, Rockets 39 with 8:16 left in the third.

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McHale benched Lin, Patterson and Parsons to start the third. Of their replacements, Patrick Beverley has two fouls and a kicked ball and Greg Smith has a travel.

He's running out of guys to bench.

T-Wolves 46, Rockets 39 with 9:17 left in the third.

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Greg Stiemsma is doing a solid job on Omer Asik in the post, regardless of the fact that he has flopped a few times along the way.

Also, Jeremy Lin may have some sort of injury keeping him out early in the third. More on that as it comes up.

T-Wolves 44, Rockets 39 with 9:47 left in the third.

The third quarter starts out with a technical free throw that was apparently called on Luke Ridnour before the half ended.

I suppose that is the first point of the second half, but I've got no idea.

Luke Ridnour picked up a T on way off the floor, so Harden back at line before ball even inbounded. Wolves 44, Rockets 39.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 20, 2013

T-Wolves 44, Rockets 39 with 11:04 left in the third.

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James Harden leads everybody so far with 13 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Carlos Delfino adds in eight points, and Greg Smith has six points, a point for every dumb play he's had tonight.

Derrick Williams leads Minnesota with 11 points and four rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko has 10 points, Luke Ridnour has nine and JJ Barea has seven.

T-Wolves 44, Rockets 38 at the half.