Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Rockets

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images /
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Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images /

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost Game 1 of their first playoff series appearance since 2004 Sunday. We look at three big takeaways from what turned out to be a close contest.

Not many national pundits picked the Minnesota Timberwolves to have much of a chance in their first round series of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

Playing against the Houston Rockets, who finished with the NBA’€™s best regular season record, is no short task. Most predicted the Wolves to be done in five games, six tops.

If Sunday’s Game 1 was any indication, we might have an exciting series no matter the duration. In a hard-fought contest, Minnesota came up just short, losing 104-101. Andrew Wiggins led the way with 18 points and Jeff Teague chipped in 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome James Harden‘s game-high 44 points and eight assists.

On one hand, the Wolves didn’t play their best ball and were close late in the game. On the other, they missed some opportunities in a huge chance to steal a road game. Here are three takeaways from a jam-packed Game 1.