For the most part, it hasn’t been the best couple weeks in Timberwolves basketball.
On Tuesday, the Timberwolves play the Houston Rockets, one of the best teams in the NBA on both sides of the ball. While the Timberwolves rank high offensively, the Rockets rank even higher.
And while the Timberwolves had a moment of apparent defensive improvement, the Rockets have been the superior defensive team on the basis of consistency.
Since the Wolves played the Rockets last – a 116-98 stomping on Jan. 18 – the Wolves have played some of their worst basketball of the season. While they remain third in offensive rating – still right behind Houston – they also sit with the second-worst defensive rating in the league.
Despite deploying a run-and-gun offense with lots of 3-point shooting, Mike D’Antoni’s Rockets sit seventh in defense overall, keeping that spot since their last meeting with the Wolves.
In many ways, the Rockets represent the next step the Wolves likely want to take: a team that can score at an elite level, but can also play a consistent style of defense.
Getting this team now – amidst a rough stretch of basketball, just two games before the All-Star break – might not be seen as an ideal situation for the Wolves.
But, of course, all this negative background comes with a very important caveat: the Timberwolves are the four seed in the Western Conference, are third in the NBA in offense and have generally been one of the best teams in the NBA this season.
Despite struggles on the defensive end, the Wolves have managed to accumulate a 16-2 record against Western Conference teams seeded fifth through 10th. When factoring in the third-seeded Spurs – who the Wolves could overtake with a win over Houston on Tuesday – the Timberwolves are 17-3.
They had a month-long stretch where they played top-five defense across the league, which featured career-best individual defense from Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
The struggles have been there, and the headaches can be warranted, but they have shown what they can do.
Against teams like Houston, it’s unclear what their in-game ceiling truly is. The Wolves are tied for the fewest 3-point attempts in the league. Meanwhile, the Rockets attempt over 20 more 3s per game.
The Wolves might be near the Rockets in offensive rating, but when up against them, it’s hard to beat them when they’re shooting – and making – that many more 3s.
Add the top-10 defense to that, then cap it with pre-All-Star Game fatigue, and it gets even more complicated.
Despite the advantage the Rockets might have, the Timberwolves have the ability to beat them. It would involve them playing at a level more similar to their play prior to their first meeting, but it’s doable.
They’ve played at a variety of different levels, but it takes one, in particular, to beat a team like Houston.
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