Rockets-Timberwolves (Rockets Lead 2-0)
Aside from Andrew Wiggins, who benefits from a low salary and lower expectations, there’s not much going on in Minnesota. Karl-Anthony Towns, who has dominated Houston throughout his career, has done nothing in the series. Part of that is Minnesota having a backwards game plan. The other part has been the Houston defense. Jimmy Butler has struggled against the Rockets all season and things have not gotten better in the playoffs.
The Minnesota offense lived on hitting tough shots and having Towns all season. They’re not hitting those tough shots anymore and Towns is a non-factor. The only saving grace for the Timberwolves is the home crowd. The audience should be jacked given that it’s their first playoff appearance in over decade. If Minnesota can feed off that, maybe they get some traction. But the Rockets are simply the better team.
The problem with the Rockets is that, in fantasy terms, that might be too good.
Sometimes it’s James Harden or has the big game. Other times it’s Chris Paul. Maybe it’ll be both. Harden remains the better bet due to his play throughout the season, but it was Paul’s world in Game 2. And you can’t afford to spend $11,900 on a guy who takes a backseat. Clint Capela might be the safest bet because he’s always going to rebound and typically get easy points, especially if Harden is the one dominating.
As far as Houston role players, Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green stepped up in Game 2. I still like Ariza due to his role with the starters and playoff experience. But Green is quickly becoming the top option off the bench with Eric Gordon struggling like he has all season.