Rockets end four-game skid in comeback win over Timberwolves

What was on the verge of a repeat performance from the previous four games, ended in a win for the Houston Rockets.

The Minnesota Timberwolves held an 80-73 lead with 2:10 remaining in the third when Russell Westbrook lead the Rockets on a 10-0 run to close the quarter up 83-80. Houston went on to outscore Minnesota 34-31 to close out the game en route to a 117-111 victory over the Timberwolves on Tuesday.

With the win, the Rockets ended a season-high four-game losing streak while sweeping the season series against the Timberwolves inside the Toyota Center. Westbrook scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half to lead the Rockets in the comeback win. In addition to his scoring, the nine-time all-star also produced seven assists and six rebounds on the night.

Although Westbrook led the charge in the comeback win, James Harden scored a game-high 37 points — finding his groove shooting 57.8% from the field, 50% from behind the arc.

An enormous part of the Rockets’ second-half turnaround came from the play of their second unit. Houston’s bench registered 24 of their 36 points in the second half — with Eric Gordon leading the way with 16 points (5-15 FG) in his return from injury.

In what had become an issue during their four-game losing streak, the Rockets connected on 50% of their shots from the outside in the second half, as they ended the night shooting 39.5% from 3.

The Rockets trailed for the majority of the game after the Timberwolves jumped out to an early 11-2 lead. Due to Houston’s lack of defensive effort, Minnesota held a four-point advantage (56-52) into the halftime break shooting 45.5% from the field — to go along with 26 points in the paint.

While dropping their third consecutive game, D’Angelo Russell had a team-high 28 points as Juan Hernangomez added in a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Following the win, the Rockets will hit the road for a two-game road trip starting in Los Angeles to face off against the 49-13 Lakers inside the Staples Center. Tip-off is slated for 9:30 P.M. CT.