Houston Rockets Hold on to Defeat Timberwolves-Player Grades

169. 104. 86. . 107

Houston Rockets. DWIGHT HOWARD. B. Over the past three weeks Dwight Howard has been on a roll. However tonight, it was a quiet game for the eight time all-star. During the first half,  Howard wasn’t too aggressive on either end on the court, and seemed less energetic playing on the second half of a back to back. In the second half, he was more engaged on the floor, and his teammates allowed him to be part of their offense a little more. Despite his lack of energy, when the Rockets needed a defensive stop or easy bucket down low, Howard stepped up the most. 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks.. C

C+. With an easier matchup, Capela was much more effective for the Rockets tonight. From the first few minutes of the game, he was active on both sides of the court. It is always great to watch the improvements Capela showcases every time he takes the court. 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block.<span style=. C. Houston Rockets. CLINT CAPELA

Houston Rockets. TREVOR ARIZA. B-. Slowly but surely Ariza is starting to regain his title as the Rockets most reliable player. In the first half he was a scoring machine with 10 points. In the second, he focused more of his energy to slow down Minnesota’s guard Kevin Martin, who scored 12 first half points. Overall, it was another solid performance for Ariza. 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals.. SF

A-. First I would like to congratulate Harden for his milestone achievement: midway through the fourth quarter, Harden recorded the 10,000 point of his career. Harden joins a small fraternity of 7 players who have over 10,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, 2,000 assist,700 steals, and 200 blocks in less than 500 games . These stats alone lets fans know how great Harden has became since coming to Houston four years ago.<p>It was a great game for the bearded one tonight. With no one able to defend him on defense, Harden had one of his best shooting nights from the field. While having one of his best all around games of the season, the only  flaw in his game was a few silly turnovers that could have been avoided.  Not sure what he was thinking, but Harden has to find a way to cut down on his nonsense turnovers. 27 points, 11 assists 3 rebounds.</p>. SG. Houston Rockets. JAMES HARDEN

C. Due to personal reasons that kept Patrick Beverley out, Jason Terry got the chance to start for Houston. Hate to say it, but Beverley was truly missed tonight. Terry played like a 39 year-old man trying to keep up with players almost half his age. However, during the final minutes of the game, old man Terry made some big baskets for Houston. 10 points.. G. Houston Rockets. JASON TERRY

B+. Terrence Jones is starting to look like the Rockets x-factor once again. After his strong performance in Memphis last night, T-Jones had another great game for the Rockets. With the way Jones has played over the past four games, perhaps he is trying to become the MVP of the Rockets’ the second unit. Overall good game for T-Jones. 16 points, 9 rebounds.. PF. Houston Rockets. TERRENCE JONES

SG. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANDREW WIGGINS. A.  The only threat for the Rockets tonight, came from reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins. This guy is going to be a top tier player in this league sooner than many expected. His style of play reminds me of an early version of Tracy McGrady during his days with the Raptors. After his performance in Houston, it safe to say this guy has a lot of potential to become a great player. Ariza nor Harden could stop Wiggins from scoring, and was the main reason the Timberwolves had a legit chance at stealing a victory from the Rockets. Overall an amazing night for the second year player from Canada. 28 points.