The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to keep pace with one of the NBA's hottest teams tonight, but they will do it without Anthony Edwards. The Houston Rockets enter the matchup at 7-1, while Minnesota is 5-3 and trying to prove it can handle another game without its best scorer.
That is why Timberwolves Vs Rockets is drawing attention now. Minnesota has won two of its past three games, yet it is also 2-2 without Edwards this season, with losses to Golden State and San Antonio and wins over the Bucks and the Clippers. The split tells the story: the Timberwolves can survive without him, but they look like a different team when he is not on the floor.
Edwards' absence changes the way Minnesota has to win. Rudy Gobert is averaging 7.4 points per game this season, so the Timberwolves need scoring and creation from other places if they are going to keep up with Houston's pace. That is a problem against a Rockets team that has been efficient on offense since Fred VanVleet returned and has leaned heavily on Alperen Sengun, who is averaging 23.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
The numbers also show how well Houston has handled its own shorthanded moments. The Rockets are 6-0 this season when Sengun plays, and they will also be without Steven Adams for this game. That removes one more option from their rotation, but it does not change the fact that Houston has already built one of the league's best early records and has more ways to generate offense than Minnesota does without Edwards.
That leaves Minnesota with a narrow path. The Timberwolves have already shown they can beat quality opponents without Edwards, but they have also shown the floor is lower when the load shifts away from him. Against a 7-1 Houston team, that margin matters. Tonight's game will say less about whether Minnesota can survive one absence and more about whether it can do it against a team that has been winning with consistency.
The matchup is part of a busy NBA night, with virtually every team taking the floor, but this one stands out because it tests two early truths at once: Houston's fast start and Minnesota's reliance on Edwards. If the Timberwolves cannot replace his production, the Rockets have the cleaner path to extending their strong opening run.
