Houston and Minnesota square off for conference showdown
Minnesota Timberwolves (32-37, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (43-26, third in the Western Conference)
Houston; Sunday, 9 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Houston and Minnesota square off at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets are 24-18 against Western Conference opponents. Houston ranks last in the Western Conference recording 20.9 assists per game, led by Chris Paul averaging 8.1.
The Timberwolves are 19-24 in Western Conference play. Minnesota ranks fourth in the league with 11.6 offensive rebounds per game, led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 3.4. In their last meeting on Feb. 13, the Timberwolves won 121-111. Jeff Teague led Minnesota with 27 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: James Harden leads the Rockets with 4.7 made 3-pointers and averages 36.1 points while shooting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. Eric Gordon has averaged 16.8 points and collected 1.8 rebounds while shooting 42.8 percent over the last 10 games for Houston.
Towns leads the Timberwolves averaging 24.6 points and has added 12.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Andrew Wiggins has averaged 10.4 points and added 2.9 rebounds while shooting 28.9 percent over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 4-6, averaging 116.1 points, 45.7 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 7.3 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.9 points on 47.8 percent shooting.
Rockets: 9-1, averaging 111.1 points, 40.7 rebounds, 21.4 assists, 9.3 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.0 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.9 points on 45.0 percent shooting.
Rockets Injuries: Isaiah Hartenstein: out (achilles), James Harden: day to day (cervical strain).
Timberwolves Injuries: Robert Covington: out (ankle), Jeff Teague: out (left foot inflammation), Luol Deng: out (sore left achilles), Derrick Rose: day to day (right elbow soreness).
