Timberwolves aim to slow down Rockets' James Harden
At first blush the Minnesota Timberwolves got what they wanted in Game 1 on Sunday, limiting the Houston Rockets to a substandard shooting performance from the perimeter after being overrun by a hail of 3-pointers while being dismantled in all four regular-season meetings. But what went wrong proved costly for Minnesota. Despite the sound strategy of running multiple bodies in the direction of Rockets All-Star guard James Harden, the Timberwolves' defense resembled a sieve as Harden produced 44 points and eight assists in a 104-101 victory. If the Timberwolves can again harass Houston into 10-for-37 shooting from behind the arc on Wednesday at Toyota Center in Game 2 of this Western Conference first-round playoff series, they will have met one of their primary objectives. However, preventi...