Timberwolves blast Rockets in opener; Alperen Sengun has strong debut
The young and rebuilding Houston Rockets certainly looked their age in Wednesday’s regular-season opener at Minnesota, which resulted in a 124-106 loss (box score) to the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the hosts were +34 in the 29 minutes played by their two-time All-Star center.
Houston’s big names of Christian Wood (16 points, 9 rebounds), Kevin Porter Jr. (11 points, 3 assists), and Jalen Green (9 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds) all had respectable stat lines, but each was quite inefficient, shooting 40% or worse from the field. Porter also had 9 turnovers.
The most efficient performances by the Rockets came off the bench, with veteran guard Eric Gordon scoring 15 points (3-of-4 on 3-pointers) in 23 minutes and rookie big man Alperen Sengun adding 11 points (75% FG), 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in 18 minutes. However, it wasn’t nearly enough versus the Timberwolves (1-0), who also had 29 points from Anthony Edwards — the No. 1 overall pick from the 2020 NBA draft.
Edwards, who connected on 6-of-12 from 3-point range (50%), has the advantage of a full year of NBA experience relative to Green, the No. 2 pick from the 2021 draft. That edge was clear in Minnesota.
See below for complete highlights from Wednesday. Houston (0-1) returns to action Friday for its home opener against Oklahoma City (0-1), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.
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List
2021-22 Houston Rockets roster
