Houston Rockets End Regular Season With Win Over T’Wolves

The Houston Rockets ended their regular season on a high note with a win over the Timberwolves. Now, they’ll have three days of rest before the playoffs start.

Wednesday’s game was a chance to make a statement for the Houston Rockets, and they did just that. With the victory over the Timberwolves, they brought their record to 55-27 for the season, a solid 17 wins ahead of where some pundits predicted they’d finish.

The Rockets led for three quarters of the game, getting ahead by as many as 19 points. They didn’t have the best shooting night of the year, but limited their turnovers to just 10 and knocked down 19 threes. The matchup had a playoff feel, and home fans got their fair share of entertainment from start to finish.

All five starters played exceptionally well in their exact style. Ryan Anderson finished with 20 points on 40% shooting from deep. Trevor Ariza scored 15 points to go along with six assists and five boards. He also added a steal and a block to his stat line. Patrick Beverley had the most Patrick Beverley-esque game imaginable, posting 10 points, seven assists, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Clint Capela played the roll man as well as it can be played, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 boards on 11/12 shooting.

All of those lines were made possible by James Harden‘s 22nd triple-double of the season. The Beard finished with 27 points, 12 dimes, and 10 boards, shooting 50% from three point territory. It was an MVP-level performance.

Harden also managed to make history twice in the game. First, with his fifth assist, he became the first player in league history to total 2,000 points, 900 assists, and 600 rebounds in a single season. If that weren’t enough, he also broke Tiny Archibald‘s record for most points created in a season. He bested the previous high by 10, directly creating 4,554 points in 2016-2017. He literally had the greatest offensive season in the history of the NBA this year.

More from Space City Scoop

• Rockets: Time to return the slander towards Rachel Nichols
• What the Rockets must do with the second overall pick
• Houston Rockets: The case for, and against, trading Christian Wood
• NBA Rumors: Why the Houston Rockets shouldn’t trade up to no. 1 in NBA Draft
• 3 players that would be a perfect fit for the Houston Rockets at 23 or 24

The Timberwolves didn’t go down without a fight in their last game and made things interesting towards the end. Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the paint, scoring 28 points and grabbing 21 boards. If you weren’t already award, he is going to obliterate the NBA in the very near future.

Rookie Kris Dunn also played well, totaling a game-high 16 assists along with his 10 points. He and Towns were the only starters to finish with a positive +/- for the night.

The game wasn’t perfect, but the Houston Rockets looked ready for the playoffs. They shot fairly well and played efficient basketball. They’ll have a few days of rest before the two legitimate MVP candidates battle it out in the first round of the postseason.

Next: Houston's Storied History with the Thunder

The first playoff game for the Houston Rockets is on Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. CT. This is it Red Nation!