Rockets at Timberwolves
The franchise's first home playoff game since 2004 gave the Minnesota Timberwolves all the juice they needed to steal Game 3 and get back into the first-round Western Conference series against the top-seeded Houston Rockets. The Timberwolves will try to ride that wave to an even best-of-seven series when they host the Rockets in Game 4 on Monday.
Minnesota shot 50 percent from the floor, 55.6 percent from 3-point range and handed out 29 assists against seven turnovers in Game 3 while rolling to a 121-105 win. "The fans were absolutely insane," Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, who enjoyed his best game of the series with 18 points and 16 rebounds, told reporters. "When you have fan support like that behind you, anything’s possible." The Rockets won an NBA-high 65 games during the regular season but could not match the intensity of Minnesota with the crowd behind it. "They played with a little bit more emotion than we had, a little harder," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "Especially in big moments, they came up with either a stop or a score or something. We didn't battle enough to overcome the crowd and emotion that they had. Give them their due, but we need to play a little bit better and harder."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Houston star James Harden scored 29 points in Game 3 to bounce back from a 2-of-18 shooting effort in Game 2 but shooting guard Eric Gordon continues to struggle. Gordon, who averaged 18 points during the regular season, is putting up 10.3 points in the postseason on 28.2 percent shooting and is 6-of-26 from 3-point range. "Offensively, we weren't pushing it at our pace," Gordon told the Houston Chronicle after the Game 3 loss. "We stooped to their level, playing slow. Of course, everyone will say that we missed a lot of open shots. Both teams are going to do that. It's all about creating the pace."
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES: Minnesota All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler averaged 12 points in the first two games of the series and attempted a total of 17 shots but was a different player in front of the home fans. Butler exploded for a team-high 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and added series highs of seven rebounds and five assists in the win. "I can tell you the last couple of days that I got tired of my teammates telling me to be more aggressive," Butler told reporters. "I took it upon myself to do just that. They are used to me being aggressive the past seven months, so don't switch it up now. I did that. I did my job."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Timberwolves reserve PG Derrick Rose is averaging 14 points in the series after posting 8.4 during the regular season.
2. Rockets PF Ryan Anderson (ankle) missed the first two games of the series and went 4-of-6 from 3-point range in his Game 3 return.
3. Minnesota PG Jeff Teague scored a series-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting in Game 3.