Rockets hit new low, blow 16-point lead in fourth quarter in loss to T-Wolves

Let's take a moment to ponder where the Houston Rockets are right now.

They traded away James Hardem, one of the best players in franchise history, a few months ago and tried to remain competitive by acquiring Victor Oladipo rather than rebuild with younger players. The team has since racked up a record of 12-32, posting a 20-game losing streak along the way. Now, the team has traded away Oladipo for a fraction of what they gave up to acquire him, pushing the total return for the Harden trade into magic beans territory.

It's a wretched position for Houston, and one loss doesn't do much to change that. And yet, Friday's game may represent a new low.

Rockets fail to score in final 7 minutes vs. T-Wolves

Amid all their struggles, the Rockets actually had a good chance to pick up their second win in three games on Friday. The team held a 91-76 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves — the only team in the West with a worse record than them — entering the fourth quarter. By the time there was 7:31 remaining in the game, the Rockets held a 101-85 lead.

Here is the last thing the team tweeted during the game:

24 minutes later, the team tweeted this:

What happened? Basically, the team stopped scoring.

For the final seven and a half minutes in the game, the Rockets did not make a single field goal or free throw. Unfortunately, the same wasn't true for the Timberwolves, who tied the game within five minutes and eventually won 107-101.

With the loss, the Rockets have now lost 22 of their last 23 games and are 1.5 games back from Minnesota for the worst record in the NBA. The team at least has the Brooklyn Nets' draft picks to look forward to it (less so with their own, thanks to the Russell Westbrook trade), but it's at the point where fast-forwarding the season would be preferable for many fans.

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