The Western Conference continues in their league play as we head toward the All-Star Break with a matchup between the Houston Rockets (23-25, 11th in the West) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (34-15, 2nd in the West). Houston just won big at home over the Raptors 135-106m easily covering the spread as 4.5-point home favorites. The T-Wolves just dropped a home game to the Magic 108-106, losing outright as 6.5-point favorites. This is the second of three matchups between these teams this season, with Minnesota winning their first game by 27 on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 EST from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Want more winners in the NBA? Go here for more NBA Picks!
The Houston Rockets have a young core of stars, but they are no longer searching for draft picks, they would rather make the Play-in Tournament and make noise in the postseason. Houston is currently in 11th in the West, and need to start winning games to improve their spot in the postseason chase. In their last game, the Rockets were led by rookie Cam Whitmore with 25 points in the win over the Raptors.
This play by JG4 ??@FrostBank l ???????????????? ???????????????????????? Play of January pic.twitter.com/0o8y7WGviA
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 3, 2024
Alperen Sengun was an All-Star snub as a 6'11 center averaging 21.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 5.1 APG. He is coming off a 24 point, 13 rebound game in their most recent win over the Raptors. Sengun is a crafty center who can score inside or set up his teammates for easy looks. Jalen Green is another young scorer on the wing, he is averaging 18.4 PPG and grabs 4.8 RPG, he recently had a 34 and 12 game in a win over the Lakers. Fred Van Vleet is the top shooter on the team, he makes 2.9 three pointers per game on 37.5% shooting, while adding another 16.6 PPG. Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. are two defenders in the starting lineup who each score around 13 points per game.
Cam Whitmore has stepped up his game lately, he is now averaging 11.8 PPG off the bench. Tari Eason will miss this game with an injury, leaving Amen Thompson as the next highest scorer off the bench. The Rockets rank 21st in the league in offensive efficiency and 8th in de fensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. Houston ranks 16th in the league in tempo.
Injury Report:
Out: Tari Eason, Steven Adams