2018 NBA Playoffs: Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves preview

There’s a lot of star power on both sides of this 2018 NBA Playoffs matchup, but can the Minnesota Timberwolves seriously challenge the Houston Rockets?

In most NBA Playoffs, the difference between the 1-seed and the 8-seed is pretty significant. Yes, the Houston Rockets dominated the MInnesota Timberwolves in all four of their matchups this season, but with a healthy Jimmy Butler back in the lineup, there’s still enough talent on the Wolves to make the games competitive.

The Rockets come into the postseason with the best record in the NBA (65-17) and one of the best offenses of all time led by MVP favorite James Harden. His pairing with Chris Paul has been a treat to watch and everything the Rockets wanted when they acquired him via trade. They surround them with shooters and are a relentless pick-and-roll team that should make them the favorites for the NBA title.

The Timberwolves won the pseudo play-in game on the final night of the regular season over the Denver Nuggets to claim the 8-seed. The good thing about the postseason is regular season records are irrelevant, but they do serve as an indicator of the stylistic problems Houston presents them.

This series has four top-20 players in the NBA between the two teams, with two of them set to guard each other most of each game. We begin our preview by laying out the starting lineups and quickly analyzing each head-to-head matchup.