The Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111 in overtime on Tuesday night.

The Rockets started well with three 3-of-3 shots to start the game. Dillon Brooks scored his first two points to give the Rockets a 20-11 lead before Minnesota called a timeout. With just under six minutes to go in the first quarter after halftime, they quickly built a double-digit lead of 11.

Minnesota went on a run, knocking down five three-pointers in a row. At the end of the first half they reduced the lead to 32:26. Anthony Edwards had 10 points in the quarter.

Houston started the second quarter 1-6, while the Timberwolves started 3-8. The Rockets lost their lead and the Wolves took a 35-33 lead. Fred VanVleet hit a three-pointer after Amen Thompson made a two-point jumper to regain the lead at 38-35.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Brooks were the main factors for Houston in the first half, as Smith Jr. scored 13 points on 5-for-6 field goals and 3-for-4 from long range, while Brooks scored 10 points. VanVleet controlled the pace for the half, collecting 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Thompson and Tari Eason continued the Terror Twins activity in the first half, combining for four steals and three blocks. With the score at 38-35, Thompson had a steal and dunked the ball to give the Rockets a five-point lead. The dunk added to the momentum and led to Houston’s dominance late in the second quarter.

The dominance continued throughout the third quarter. After building an 18-point lead, Minnesota staged a big comeback late in the quarter. Naz Reid was the difference maker for the Timberwolves in this run as he made big plays on defense and scoring. In NBA Cup style, the game was close again and the score was 84-78 with 12 minutes to play.

Reid scored early in the fourth and Dillingham followed with a three-pointer. The lead was reduced to just one. Minnesota tied the game at 88 with an and-one, and then VanVleet hit a big three-pointer followed by a signature mid-range pull-up from Alperen Sengun that gave Houston a five-point lead.

After minutes of back and forth, Edwards was fouled and made free throws to put his team up by one. With just over three minutes to play, Dillingham hit a floater to cut the Wolves’ lead to three. Julius Randle made a layup to make it five, followed by a missed three from Sengun. VanVleet then made a three-pointer to make the score 100-102. Thompson took a charge from Randle on a big defensive possession. He then got a steal and converted it into a layup to tie the game. Edwards missed a floater, sending the game into overtime.

Early in overtime, Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit the ball into the goal on a missed shot, and then Thompson made a three-pointer to tie the game at 105. From there, Smith Jr. followed with a layup to give the Rockets a two-point lead. Sengun made a 3-foot jump shot to give Houston a four-point lead. Finally, with a shot from Sengun right after, Brooks made a layup over Rudy Gobert for a 113-105 lead as the Rockets came out on top.

The Rockets play the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow at 6:00 PM CST at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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