Through 1 Quarter

The Minnesota Timberwolves are ahead after one, as expected, but they'll have to keep working the rest of the way. After one quarter neither squad has the game in the bag, but Minnesota leads 35-29 over the Houston Rockets.

The Timberwolves have been led by center Karl-Anthony Towns, who so far has 12 points and three assists along with four boards. Houston has been relying on center Christian Wood, who has ten points in addition to two rebounds, and guard Ben McLemore, who has nine points.

Minnesota's lead is the biggest they have had this season going into the second quarter.

Who's Playing

Houston @ Minnesota

Current Records: Houston 12-31; Minnesota 10-34

What to Know

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 4-19 against the Houston Rockets since January of 2016, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit Friday. The Timberwolves will look to defend their home court against Houston at 8 p.m. ET. Both teams were wiped off the court in their previous games and will be looking to bounce back in a big way.

Minnesota's and the Dallas Mavericks' contest on Wednesday was up for grabs at halftime, but Minnesota was thoroughly outmatched 72-53 in the second half. Minnesota's bruising 128-108 defeat to Dallas might stick with them for a while. A silver lining for Minnesota was the play of small forward Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points along with five rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Rockets have to be aching after a bruising 122-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Houston was down 93-70 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Point guard John Wall put forth a good effort for the losing side as he had 20 points and seven assists.

Minnesota is the favorite in this one, with an expected 4-point margin of victory. Now might not be the best time to take Minnesota against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past three consecutive games.

With the two teams each stumbling in off of a loss, both will be hungry for the victory. Allowing an average of 117.34 points per game, Minnesota hasn't exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We'll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming game.

How To Watch

  • When: Friday at 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Target Center -- Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • TV: ATTSN Southwest
  • Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Timberwolves are a 4-point favorite against the Rockets, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Timberwolves as a 3.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -112

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Houston have won 19 out of their last 23 games against Minnesota.

  • Mar 10, 2020 - Houston 117 vs. Minnesota 111
  • Jan 24, 2020 - Houston 131 vs. Minnesota 124
  • Jan 11, 2020 - Houston 139 vs. Minnesota 109
  • Nov 16, 2019 - Houston 125 vs. Minnesota 105
  • Mar 17, 2019 - Houston 117 vs. Minnesota 102
  • Feb 13, 2019 - Minnesota 121 vs. Houston 111
  • Dec 03, 2018 - Minnesota 103 vs. Houston 91
  • Apr 25, 2018 - Houston 122 vs. Minnesota 104
  • Apr 23, 2018 - Houston 119 vs. Minnesota 100
  • Apr 21, 2018 - Minnesota 121 vs. Houston 105
  • Apr 18, 2018 - Houston 102 vs. Minnesota 82
  • Apr 15, 2018 - Houston 104 vs. Minnesota 101
  • Mar 18, 2018 - Houston 129 vs. Minnesota 120
  • Feb 23, 2018 - Houston 120 vs. Minnesota 102
  • Feb 13, 2018 - Houston 126 vs. Minnesota 108
  • Jan 18, 2018 - Houston 116 vs. Minnesota 98
  • Apr 12, 2017 - Houston 123 vs. Minnesota 118
  • Feb 25, 2017 - Houston 142 vs. Minnesota 130
  • Jan 11, 2017 - Minnesota 119 vs. Houston 105
  • Dec 17, 2016 - Houston 111 vs. Minnesota 109
  • Apr 11, 2016 - Houston 129 vs. Minnesota 105
  • Mar 18, 2016 - Houston 116 vs. Minnesota 111
  • Jan 13, 2016 - Houston 107 vs. Minnesota 104

Injury Report for Minnesota

  • Josh Okogie: Out (Covid-19)
  • D'Angelo Russell: Out (Knee)

Injury Report for Houston

  • Avery Bradley: Out (Calf)
  • Kelly Olynyk: Out (Not Injury Related)
  • Kevin Porter: Out (Quadriceps)
  • Dante Exum: Out (Calf)
  • Danuel House Jr.: Out (Personal)
  • Eric Gordon: Out (Groin)
  • David Nwaba: Out (Wrist)