The absence of Anthony Edwards takes the shine off what would otherwise be one of the most appealing games of this early part of the season. The Houston Rockets are looking like the best team in the NBA, having lost just one of their 8 games. Minnesota are getting used to life without their star and with LaMelo Ball as their leader, while their defence holds them up.
Rockets vs Timberwolves date and time
Date: 4 November 2026, in the early hours of the 5th according to European time zones.
Time: These are the Rockets vs Timberwolves start times by time zone.
| United Kingdom | 01:30 |
| Dominican Republic, USA (Boston, New York and Miami), Puerto Rico and Venezuela | 20:30 |
| Mexico (central), USA (Texas and Chicago), El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua | 18:30 |
| Mexico (Pacific) and USA (Los Angeles) | 16:30 |
| Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay | 21:30 |
| Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama | 19:30 |
Venue: Toyota Center, Houston (Texas)
Rockets vs Timberwolves starting fives
Anthony Edwards is the only major absentee for the game.
| ROCKETS | TIMBERWOLVES |
| Fred VanVleet | LaMelo Ball |
| Amen Thompson | Ayo Dosunmu |
| Kevin Durant | Jonathan Kuminga |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | Jaden McDaniels |
| Alperen Sengün | Rudy Gobert |
Rockets vs Timberwolves: best bet
The Rockets arrive as clear favourites for tonight’s game. That may be a good chance to take advantage of the fact that the Wolves come in as underdogs and are not that far behind, even though they have yet to beat a top side since Edwards went out.
Latest on the Rockets: absences and form
- Out: Steven Adams
- Doubtful: Clint Capela
Thrashings of Oklahoma City and Boston in the past week have lifted them to the top as the best team of this early stretch in their own right. The Rockets are the main beneficiary of the Thunder’s injury plague and the odd signs from the Spurs over the first two weeks of the season.
They are a far more balanced side than last season. They do not depend on any one player and can even afford for Kevin Durant not to reach 15 points and still win comfortably. Nor do they rely on offensive rebounding, where they remain elite by percentage (31.7%) but not by volume. All because their shooting efficiency has multiplied.
Adding Fred VanVleet and the good form of Alperen Sengün means they can speed up without losing control. That is why the Rockets no longer need 20 seconds to create a good shot and have embraced the early offense so successfully. Defensively they remain a top-ten side in the league.
Player to watch: Kevin Durant
Understanding these Rockets is as simple as looking at KD. Today he will probably be the most closely guarded player in Houston, by Jaden McDaniels or Jonathan Kuminga, and the interest will be in seeing how the game gets to him. Ime Udoka is managing to take him further and further away from decision-making and make the most of what remains intact in him: his killer instinct as a scorer.
Latest on the Timberwolves: absences and form
- Out: Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo
- Doubtful: Terrence Shannon Jr.
The Wolves are 2-2 without Edwards, with defeats to the Warriors and Spurs and wins over the Clippers and Bucks. In other words, they can remain superior and competitive against the lower part of the league, but still have to show what they are made of against the elite.
Minnesota started all smiles as the best defence and the best rebounding team in the NBA. That is a sufficient base for the chemistry that soon emerged between Ball and Ant to keep adding wins in the column.
The star’s absence forces some nuance: trying to speed up the pace by using Dosunmu and attacking the paint more. The Rockets, precisely, are one of the teams that concede the most transition points per game (although they are doing well in average points per play). We already know what plan A will be.
Player to watch: LaMelo Ball
LaMelo has to be judged in these contexts in which the defence will be brutally physical with him. Rudy Gobert will be important for controlling the rebounds and for whether he guards Sengün to cover the pick-and-roll or Amen Thompson to stay as an anchor. However, Ball is the only elite creative source the Wolves have in the half court. If the game is tight at the end, the ball will be in his hands.
Rockets vs Timberwolves: head-to-head record
The Timberwolves clearly have the better of their recent record against Houston. They won last season’s series 2-1 and are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings. They have not met in the playoffs since 2018, when Harden’s Rockets handed Jimmy Butler’s Wolves a gentleman sweep . The all-time record favours the Rockets 86 to 57 in 143 regular-season games.
Rockets vs Timberwolves predictions
Houston dominate the boards. It is worth taking advantage of the fact that the numbers favour Minnesota to get some value. The Wolves are a dominant rebounding team, but not at Houston’s level, especially with the second unit on the floor. Minnesota will also probably miss more shots, which will pad the home side’s rebounding stats.
LaMelo Ball over 25.5 points + assists. Ball has been weighed down by spending the first games in Edwards’ shadow in points plus assists. But he should normally average close to a double-double without Ant on the court. He is coming off scoring 34 and has exceeded that figure in 9 of the last 15 games.
Where to watch Rockets vs Timberwolves
The game between the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves will be available in the UK through an NBA League Pass subscription.
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