Houston is coming at this from the other direction. The Rockets beat Boston 109-93 at the Toyota Center behind Alperen Sengun, who had 26 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. The night before that they handled Oklahoma City 119-98. Only one loss, at Dallas, has gotten in the way of an excellent start, and Sengun and Kevin Durant are carrying the scoring together.
The record hides a problem in Houston's frontcourt. Clint Capela (ankle) sat out the Boston game, and Steven Adams has been out since late October with a right soleus strain. Ime Udoka said that one could run "a week or two." With both of them down, the Rockets are short on bodies behind Sengun at center. Minnesota's best chance at an edge might be making Houston go small, or forcing Sengun to pick up fouls.
Both teams last played on November 2, so neither has a rest advantage. Tip is 7:30 PM CT. The case for Houston is easy: better record, better form, home floor and a center playing like an All-NBA guy. The case for Minnesota is narrower but real. Ball is playing like a No. 1 option, and the Wolves already scored 127 on the Clippers and 125 in Cleveland. This offense can keep up for stretches. The question is whether it can do it for 48 minutes.
