Timberwolves push Rockets to overtime but lose

Despite all the drawbacks of having a roster loaded with young players, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders noted there is one advantage. "They're pretty resilient," he said. "They forget pretty quickly, and they move on."

Two days after a disheartening loss to Philadelphia, the Wolves got a chance to prove him right. Friday's 114-112 overtime loss to Houston gave them some moments worth remembering, even though they didn't get the outcome they sought. The Wolves rallied from 13 points down with five minutes, 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter to push the mighty Rockets to overtime before their youth caught up with them.

Rookie Zach LaVine had one of his best games of the season, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter in a confident performance. But with 28 seconds remaining — and his team clinging to a 105-103 lead — LaVine forced a long jumper and missed, and his defensive gaffe in OT left Houston's Nick Johnson with a clear path to the basket for the winning layup.

James Harden's 38 points boosted Houston to its third consecutive victory. The Wolves dropped their fourth in a row, as Saunders and his players lamented some ill-advised shots, costly fouls and mistakes born of inexperience. Still, they found plenty to be pleased with, including strong performances by Shabazz Muhammad, Thad Young, Gorgui Dieng and Corey Brewer.

"I told our guys, 'We've got to live in the present,' " Saunders said. "We can't worry about what happened in the past, and we can't worry about what's going to happen down the road.

"I knew we got better [Thursday] in practice. I knew we got better [Friday] in the shootaround. We carried some of those things through, and now, we've just got to continue. We did some good things, and we have to build off that."

After Wednesday's 85-77 loss to Philadelphia — which was 0-17 entering the game — Saunders tried to simplify things for a team that appeared lifeless and disorganized. He had grown tired of seeing them repeat their mistakes, he said, and he urged them to play with the flow and joy of the playground.

Saunders wanted to see his young players take the progress they made in practice and put it into action. Friday, they were more shorthanded than usual, with Mo Williams sitting out because of back spasms. With LaVine and Corey Brewer handling point guard duties, the Wolves faced one of the best defenses in the NBA and turned in a spirited, energetic performance.

Twice the Wolves clawed back from double-digit deficits. Houston jumped out to a 31-19 lead before Muhammad and LaVine sparked them to an 18-4 run to open the second.

Harden, who fouled out with 80 seconds to go in regulation, added 12 points in the third quarter as the Wolves began to stagger. A 15-4 run lifted Houston back into the lead, and it built the margin to 13 with 5:26 remaining. But the Wolves roared back again behind LaVine and Brewer, who combined for 17 points in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves led 105-101 with 58 seconds remaining. Houston tied it on Donatas Motiejunas' two free throws with 15 seconds left, and the Wolves made only three of nine shots in OT.

LaVine said the Wolves wouldn't dwell on this loss, either, given that they visit San Antonio on Saturday. Thaddeus Young, one of the team's rare voices of experience, hoped they would remember it for the right reasons.

"We played hard," Young said. "We went out there and did exactly what we were supposed to do as a team."