Wolves

Timberwolves look to bounce back against up-and-down Rockets

The Rockets have been slow to start, but after dropping four straight games, the Rockets have won their past two.

By Chris Hine

December 3, 2018 at 2:23PM

Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul, left, congratulates Houston Rockets guard James Harden after his basket against the Denver Nuggets in the second half on Nov. 13. (Mike Nelson — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

7 p.m. vs. Houston • FSN, 830-AM

League's top scorer to face improving defense

Wolves update: The Wolves (11-12) fell to 7-3 since the Jimmy Butler trade after losing to the Celtics 118-109 at Target Center on Saturday. Over their past nine games, the Wolves have the second-best defense in terms of defensive rating and are tied for the 17th most efficient offense. … Robert Covington has scored in double figures in seven of nine games with the Wolves. Covington had four steals Saturday, the third time he has done that with the Wolves. … Dario Saric missed all four of his three-point attempts against the Celtics. He is shooting 28 percent from three-point range since joining the Wolves. … Derrick Rose led the Wolves with 26 points, the sixth time he has led the Wolves in scoring. That's second behind Karl-Anthony Towns, who has done it eight times.

Rockets update: The Rockets (11-11), who took the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference finals, have been slow to start. The team parted ways with Carmelo Anthony, who began the season on the roster. After dropping four straight games, the Rockets have won their past two. … James Harden leads the NBA in scoring at 30.6 points per game. Harden is hitting 37 percent of his three-pointers and takes 11.8 threes per game compared to 9.4 two-point shots. … Chris Paul is averaging 17.3 points per game, down from 18.6 a season ago. … The Rockets have the sixth most efficient offense (112.2 points per 100 possessions) after having the most efficient offense a season ago.