NBA 2018-19: Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves – 3 Talking points

#2 Team Effort is what made the difference in the match

Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose

Basketball is a team game. You can get five iso-payers to play for your team, but if they are not working together, you are not far away from losing.

Today's match was a perfect example of the above statement.

For Rockets, three players scored in double figures -- James Harden (29), Clint Capela (24) and Eric Gordon (10).

There was some chemistry between Capella and Harden with few good pick-and-roll executions. But overall the team had no team effort and lacked the zeal to defend. I agree that they had a good lead in the first half, but that was mostly due to three-point shooting on the perimeter. Moreover, except Harden and Capella, nobody stood up to take charge and help the team.

Timberwolves, on the other hand, had six players in double figures -- Robert Covington (13), Taj Gibson (15), Karl-Anthony Towns (24), Jeff Teagu e(14), Andrew Wiggins (16) and Dario Saric (12). They defended like a team in the second half, and players like Dario Saric (coming off the bench) stood up and knocked down some three-pointers. Even Jeff Teague, who was having few rough games, knocked down two crucial back-to-back three-pointers.

Check out some of the highlights:

A classic on Classics night.29 points allowed in the second half & a 19-point comeback 👀 pic.twitter.com/K9boJcRW0M

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) December 4, 2018

Karl-Anthony Towns was hugging Robert Covington immediately after the match ended, which shows what kind of aura surrounds the team. They look like a complete team at the moment.