The Houston Rockets wrap up a four-game homestand when they host the Timberwolves on Sunday at Toyota Center. The game features a showdown between two of the NBA’s rising stars in Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2020 NBA draft, and Rockets rookie Jalen Green, taken at No. 2 overall in the 2021 first round.
With four games left in the 2021-22 regular season, the Timberwolves are only two games behind Denver (46-32) for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference standings, which is the last spot to guarantee a playoff berth without having to go through the play-in tournament.
Thus, Minnesota enters with plenty of incentive to win in Houston. By contrast, the Rockets arguably have incentive to lose on Sunday, since they are currently tied with Orlando for the league’s worst record and the No. 1 positioning slot in the 2022 NBA draft race.
Yet, in Minnesota, Green and the Rockets could see a template they wouldn’t mind replicating over the coming weeks and months. The Timberwolves, who had the NBA’s worst record for much of last season, finished that season (relatively) strong with seven wins in their last 12 games. From there, they carried that momentum into the next season, which appears likely to end with a spot in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
In particular, Edwards was arguably the biggest catalyst for the turnaround. After struggling with inefficiency during the first half of his rookie year, Edwards finished with a flourish, and he currently is on the verge of being one of the NBA’s top 20 scorers this season.
That same type of surge is evident in Green’s performances over the past two months, and especially within the last five games. In that span, the 20-year-old is averaging 28.6 points (45.3% on 3-pointers), 4.6 rebounds, and only 1.0 turnovers in 35.2 minutes. Houston is hoping that type of strong finish catapults him into stardom by the 2022-23 season.
