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Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets recap: final score and what we learned (Week of Nov 5–11, 2026)

NBA Audit · Week of Nov 5–11, 2026 · Game recap

The Minnesota Timberwolves went into Houston and won 117–107, a 10-point result that flipped our preview on its head. We picked the Rockets. We were wrong, and the way Minnesota did it makes the miss easy to explain.

Houston was the hotter team on paper, and the Timberwolves treated that as a suggestion. For a team whose defense we flagged as the weak spot, Minnesota had a very good night at the other end.

The result

Start with shooting, because it's the whole story. Minnesota made 46 of 87 from the field, 53 percent. Houston made 35 of 82, 43 percent. That's a big gap in efficiency, and the Rockets never really offset it.

The Timberwolves also shot well from deep, hitting 15 of 35 threes for 43 percent. Houston went 13 of 37, 35 percent. Neither team was shy from range, but only one was accurate.

Minnesota passed it better too, with 28 assists to Houston's 22, which suggests the looks were coming from ball movement and not just individual shot-making. The Timberwolves also collected 12 steals to Houston's 6, a number that fits a team getting easy possessions and making the Rockets uncomfortable.

The oddity is the free-throw line. Houston went 24 of 30, 80 percent, while Minnesota made just 10 of 19, 53 percent. Minnesota also committed 25 fouls to Houston's 20. The Timberwolves won despite all of that, which tells you how much the field-goal gap mattered. Rebounding was close: 45 for Minnesota, 41 for Houston.

How our preview held up

Not well on the pick, but better on the analysis than the scoreboard suggests. We said Houston was the hotter team, 7-1 in its recent stretch against Minnesota's 5-3, scoring 120 per game and allowing 108.1. That made the Rockets our side.

But we also flagged that Minnesota's offensive matchup graded higher, 9.7 against Houston's 7.9, and called it the Timberwolves' best route to an upset. That part held up. Minnesota scored 117, close to its 117.8 season rate, against a Houston defense we'd praised. Meanwhile Houston finished well short of its 120 per game.

Where we leaned too hard was trusting Houston's defensive profile. Allowing 108.1 a night is a strong number, and it didn't travel into this game. We also said Minnesota's defense, allowing 112.1, needed to tighten up. The Rockets' 43 percent shooting says it did enough.

Our line that the Rockets would win by being a bit better at everything looks flimsy now. They weren't better at the things that decided it.

What it means

For Minnesota, this is a quality road win that backs up the better-matchup argument we made. The offense produced efficiently, and the Timberwolves did it with shared scoring and active hands, not a lopsided free-throw edge.

For Houston, one loss doesn't erase a strong recent stretch. But it's a useful warning. A team that thrives on a high scoring rate has to shoot well enough to keep it, and 43 percent didn't. The 24 made free throws were a bright spot, yet they couldn't cover for missed field goals.

For us, the lesson is simple: when the matchup grades and the headline numbers disagree, the matchup deserves more weight than we gave it. Minnesota showed exactly why.

Read our pre-game preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets prediction and preview: team news, form and key matchups (Nov 4)

Final score

Team stats

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Data attribution: Stats for informational analysis only. Verify figures against official league sources.