The Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves are set for a duel this Thursday in the Twin Cities. Will the Rockets recover right away from a loss? Or, will the Timberwolves have another reason to howl?

Catch this game live on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 9:30 AM, Manila time

Away: Houston Rockets (43-28, 18-18 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Amen Thompson
  • Reed Sheppard
  • Kevin Durant
  • Jabari Smith Jr.
  • Alperen Sengun

Not even a vintage Kevin Durant game was enough to prevent the Rockets from suffering a 132-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls on the road on Tuesday. 

That defeat snapped the Rockets’ two-game winning streak, after they previously took down the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat. 

Houston was doomed in the Bulls game by its slow start, as the Rockets allowed Chicago to build a 20-point lead by the end of the first quarter. The Rockets will look to avoid another horrid start. For what it’s worth, they overcame a five-point deficit after the first quarter in a 110-105 home win over Minnesota in January. 

Durant dropped 39 points in that game, while Alperen Sengun had a double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds. After allowing the Bulls to shoot over 50% from the field and go 19/38 from deep, Houston is on a mission to bottle up Minnesota’s attack. 

This season, the Rockets are 12th in the league with a 112.8 defensive rating and sixth with a 52.2 defensive effective FG%.

Home: Minnesota Timberwolves (44-28, 24-13 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Donte DiVincenzo
  • Ayo Dosunmu
  • Jaden McDaniels
  • Julius Randle
  • Rudy Gobert

Despite missing Edwards, the Timberwolves got the job done against a legitimate NBA title contender. On Monday, Minnesota stunned the Boston Celtics in Beantown, 102-92. 

Bones Hyland came through for the Timberwolves, scoring 23 points on 8/14 shooting against Boston, while Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmo had 19 and 17 points, respectively. 

And while Minnesota will not have Edwards again against the Rockets, the Timberwolves seem deep enough to give Houston all sorts of troubles — just like in the first meeting, where Julius Randle went off for 39 points and Naz Reid for 25 points.

 The two combine for just 20 points against Boston, but they will be prominently featured in the Rockets rematch. The Timberwolves are top 10 in the league in both offensive (117.1) and defensive (112.3) efficiency.

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Spread: Minnesota Timberwolves (+1.5)
Over/Under: Over (224.0)