MINNEAPOLIS - A golden performance turned into a disappointing silver finish for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night when they surrendered a 12-point lead with 2:19 left in the fourth quarter and lost to the Houston Rockets in overtime, 111-109, at the Target Center.
Rockets All-Star James Harden fired 10 points of his 28 points in overtime to put a bow on Minnesota's stunning collapse.
Trailing 93-81 with 2:19 to go, the Rockets exploded with a 14-2 run which was powered by two triples apiece from Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza. Eric Gordon's layup made it 95-all, forcing overtime.
Anderson finished with 28 points while Harden carded 13 assists and 9 rebounds as the Rockets climbed to No.3 in the Western Conference. Gordon shared 20 points, Ariza had 11 and Clint Capela added 10 points.
"Yeah, I'm so confident in this team. I don't ever see us out of a game," Harden told reporters in a post-game interview.
Karl-Anthony Towns paced the Timberwolves with 41 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. The gentle giant swished 15 of 28 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free throw line. Zach LaVine had 24 points while Andrew Wiggins added 13.
"We just let one go, that's it. We just have to move on to the the next game and get ready." a dejected Towns said.
"There was a lot of points where I'm thinking, `We're in trouble," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "The guys, that's where the chemistry comes in, and the will to win, the will to get things right and bounce back."
Minnesota led by as many as 17 and the game featured 9 tied and 11 lead changes.
Up Next
The Minnesota Timberwolves (7-19} stay home to host the Phoenix Suns on December 20 while the Houston Rockets head home and to face the San Antonio Spurs on December 21.
Photo: Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni speaks to reporters after the Wolves game.
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