Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Rockets

1. Missed opportunity for the Wolves

For an 8-seed going up against the best team in basketball, all chances at a victory matter. In a game that was fairly close throughout, the Wolves had multiple leads, and an opportunity to tie the game at the end. The issue is, there’s an argument to be made that the game shouldn’€™t have come down to that.

The Rockets have killed teams all season with their offensive depth. While the offense mainly goes through James Harden and Chris Paul, Houston has various other players that can beat you.

That guy was Clint Capela in Game 1, as he poured in 24 points and 12 rebounds to go along with three blocks. Outside of Harden and Capela, the Rockets shot poorly, as only Paul joined them with double-digit points.

Houston simply won’€™t have many games like Sunday. We talked about Towns’€™ struggles, but his co-star Jimmy Butler had his issues as well. Butler finished with 13 points and seemed to be having trouble with his wrist earlier in the game.

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Overall, if Minnesota wants a chance in this series, it has to take advantage of the Rockets when they aren’t clicking on all cylinders. Game 1 represents a missed opportunity in that area.