Rockets’ explosive third quarter leads to Game 4 blowout of Timberwolves: 3 takeaways

The Houston Rockets’ record-setting third quarter helped them to a 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves after a 119-100 win in Game 4.

For 24 minutes, the first round series between the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves looked like it was going to get interesting. Up 2-1 through three games, the Rockets’ inability to consistently knock down shots in Monday night’s first half meant they led Minnesota by just a point at halftime.

Then the third quarter happened.

After putting up 50 points in the first half, Houston doubled its point total in the third quarter alone, outscoring the Timberwolves 50-20. The Rockets shot 61.0 percent from the field, made nine 3-pointers and shot a perfect 13-of-13 from the foul line in those 12 minutes. Their 50-point outbreak was the highest scoring quarter of the NBA season to date.

Likely league MVP James Harden led the way for Houston. He finished with 36 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field with a quintet of made 3-pointers. Chris Paul poured in 25 points of his own while Clint Capela added 14 points and 17 rebounds.

For Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 22 points and 15 boards while Jimmy Butler finished with 19 points and nine rebounds and Derrick Rose added a throwback 17 points off the bench.

Takeaways

Harden’s third quarter performance drove Houston’s blowout. Take away the Rockets’ explosive third quarter and Minnesota played well in this one, outscoring them 80-69. Unfortunately, all four quarters count, and Harden’s third quarter outing helped inspire the rout.

The 28-year-old poured in 22 of his 36 points in the third, scoring in a variety of ways. Harden’s third quarter outing came after a rough start to the contest. He shot 0-of-7 from the field in the first quarter.

In the third, he was comfortable attacking Minnesota’s drop back pick-and-roll coverages with mid-range jumpers and floaters, getting to the rim when the Wolves’ bigs challenged him and pulling up from well behind the 3-point line when he was able to generate space with his step back.

The Timberwolves had no answer and they suffered as a result.

The math problem for Minnesota remains a major problem. The growing importance of the 3-point shot in the modern NBA was an obvious topic of conversation heading into this series. Houston led the league with a 50.2 percent 3-point attempt rate during the regular season while the Timberwolves ranked dead last in the stat at 26.1 percent.

Those numbers held stable during Game 4 with the Rockets attempting 46.7 percent of their shots from behind the arc and Minnesota logging 27.3 percent. Given the relatively equal overall field goal percentages between the two teams, basketball’s math problem — that three is greater than two — continued to be an issue for the Wolves on Monday.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau’s reluctance to embrace a more modern offensive attack (or willingness to accept his players not doing so on their own) puts Minnesota at a distinct disadvantage against the league’s best offenses. The Wolves simply have to work too hard to score enough points to win, and when their opponents connect on twice as many made 3s, things can get ugly.

The Timberwolves’ defense needs to find new answers quickly. Minnesota can find some positives in Monday night’s loss. Namely, the Wolves were consistently able to generate pressure at the rim, attempting 45.2 percent of their total field goal attempts at the basket. However, the team’s performance on the defensive end raises broader concerns.

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Simply hoping Houston misses shots is not the most effective defensive strategy. For much of the game, the Timberwolves were content to go under high ball screens set for Harden and Paul. And outside of the third quarter it was mostly ok, but given the aforementioned math problem, one quarter of explosion can be enough for the Rockets.

Minnesota will likely need to revisit the drawing board ahead of Game 5 to construct some defensive schemes designed to limit Houston’s available 3-point attempts.