In a spirited showdown at the Toyota Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a mid‑fourth‑quarter tie to defeat the Houston Rockets 117‑107. The win highlighted the impact of Ayo Dosunmu’s 21 points and a decisive late surge by Jonathan Kuminga.
Key moments
Entering the final period, the Rockets held a slim two‑point lead. Kuminga answered with a clutch three‑pointer, followed by a steal from Dosunmu and a tip‑in from Kuminga that pushed Minnesota ahead 111‑104 with roughly two minutes remaining.
Houston’s veteran Kevin Durant narrowed the gap with two free throws, but Kuminga’s subsequent three‑pointer extended the lead to 114‑106, sealing the outcome with under a minute left on the clock.
Supporting performances
LaMelo Ball contributed 20 points, scoring 12 of them in the fourth quarter to help sustain the Timberwolves’ momentum after a season‑high 34 points in his previous outing.
For the Rockets, Alperen Şengün recorded his 13th career triple‑double, tallying 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Durant added 21 points, while Fred VanVleet chipped in 18.
Kuminga finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels added 14 points and eight boards for Minnesota.
Injuries and foul trouble
The Timberwolves played without star Anthony Edwards, who is sidelined for up to two months following arthroscopic knee surgery. Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. also missed his second straight game due to a bruised hip.
Kuminga was assessed a flagrant‑1 foul in the second quarter after an elbow to Şengün’s jaw sent the Turkish forward to the floor.
Looking ahead
Next up, Minnesota travels to New Orleans on Friday night for its next matchup, while Houston heads to Phoenix on Saturday.
Original reporting: Fort Worth, TX Sports (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
