Houston Rockets Game 69 of 2015-16 Season vs Timberwolves

Jan 13, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) drives the ball during the fourth quarter as Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) defends at Toyota Center. The Rockets won 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) drives the ball during the fourth quarter as Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) defends at Toyota Center. The Rockets won 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Houston Rockets Game 69 of 2015-16  saw the squad tipping off versus  the young upstart Minnesota Timberwolves.

Continuing SCS series of all 82 games from last season next up is the Houston Rockets Game 69 of 2015-16 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Houston Rockets added draft picks and signed free agents to improve upon an especially mediocre 41-41 campaign. Big man Dwight Howard left for Atlanta while free agents Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Nene Hilario and Pablo Prigioni joined Houston in free agency.

Hopes are these additions and the growth of existing assets will translate into a season similar to 2014-15. While fans wait for opening night on October 26th versus the Lakers hopefully this series will appease your cravings.

To that end, this series showcases the Rockets 82 games noting the pregame analysis, post game grades, and relevant video. Furthermore, SCS will highlight significant changes made by their opponents this summer. So, here it is – – enjoy all 82 posts as SCS takes you back over the 2015-16 season.

Game 69 – Timberwolves

104. 86. . 107. 169

Pregame Analysis:

Apr 11, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) reacts after Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) knocks the ball away in the third quarter at Target Center. The Rockets win 129-105. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

On the surface this should be an automatic W in the win column, but the Houston Rockets haven’t done anything easy and the T-Wolves have been playing spoiler post All-Star break.

Tonight marks the second meeting between the Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets this season. The home town Rockets returned from a 5 game Eastern road trip seemingly playing better. But just like the regular season they failed to capitalize on a Los Angeles Clippers team who played the night prior…..

This match has all the makings for a trap game and given how the T-Wolves have been basking confidently post All-Star break that saw Zach LaVine win MVP of the BBVA Rising Stars as well as the Slam Dunk Competition while rookie Karl-Anthony Towns won the Skills Challenge and Andrew Wiggins could easily have won the MVP if the International side had won the game. Suffice to say these Wolves are extremely confident and play an exciting brand of basketball.  I called for them as my dark horses this season, and they weren’t quite ready it’s obvious they aren’t far off.

The full pregame analysis Houston Rockets Game 69 can be viewed here

Post Game Analysis:

After their disappointing loss to the Clippers, it’s no surprise the Houston Rockets came away with a win. This week was the perfect example of the inconsistency of their season.

However, I thought this game would be a walk on the bench for the Rockets. For the second time this season I underestimated the talented Minnesota Timberwolves. A duel between rookie sensations Karl-Anthony Towns and James Harden made this one of the most entering games of the season. Overall, it was a great win by the Rockets! – Coty Davis

The full post game analysis Houston Rockets Game 63 can be viewed here.

Stat Leaders:

Harden: 29 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds

Towns: 32 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

Houston Rockets Game 69 NBA.com box score.

Rockets Games vs Timberwolves in 2016-17

  • December 17th in Minnesota at Target Center
  • January 11th in Minnesota at Target Center
  • February 25th at home
  • April 12th at home

Draft Picks and Free Agents

If there was a perfect draft prospect for a coach Kris Dunn could have been hand picked for Tom Thibodeau. With so much young talent on the roster it’s not surprising more moves weren’t made in free agency.

Draft Picks:

Round 1: Kris Dunn (5)

Round 2: N/A

Incoming Free Agents/trade:

Exiting Free Agents/traded: 

  • Damjan Rudez has training camp invite with Magic

Waived:

  • Greg Smith

More Free Agent News

Next: Updated Free Agency Report

Next: Free Agency Profiles for all 30 Teams

Due to the large Houston Rockets fan base, SCS is always looking to add new talent to our writing team. To that end, we’re looking for individuals with a specialized focus.  Specifically, the first area  is perfect for someone who constantly surfs for breaking news on injuries, trades, insider info. Consequently this individual would select top news items providing timely quick hits to keep SCS readers in the loop.

The other writer would possess an especially strong social media background and would like to interact with Clutch City Fans. Therefore this person will promote SCS team content on facebook and twitter. As a result the successful candidate will  make sure to promote the best content coming from H-Town fans. In conclusion, if you’re a budding writer who possesses these qualities vist the SCS link, and fill out an application