MINNEAPOLIS — Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Houston Rockets did their part, emphatically.
James Harden led all scorers with 34 points as the Rockets won their second game in a row, blasting past the Minnesota Timberwolves 129-105 on Monday.
Trevor Ariza added 21 points for Houston, which is vying for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
The Rockets hit 15 three-pointers in the game as their recent streak of hot shooting from long range continued.
Minnesota was led by Shabazz Muhammad, who had 23 points off the bench, but the Timberwolves saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Zach LaVine chipped in with 21 for the Timberwolves.
Houston led 15-13 with seven minutes to play in the opening quarter, then went on a 23-8 run to increase its lead to 38-21 after the first period — Minnesota’s largest opening-quarter deficit of the season. The Rockets led by as many as 23 in the second quarter and settled for a 68-47 advantage at halftime, paced by 23 points from Harden. Dwight Howard added 17 for Houston, while LaVine was Minnesota’s leading first-half scorer with 17.
Howard and Minnesota’s Nemanja Bjelica each had six first-half rebounds. Bjelica finished with 14 rebounds for the game.
The Rockets kept their collective feet on the gas in the third quarter, which was mostly devoid of defense in either end of the court. Houston kept bombing away from three-point range and emerged up 103-74 after 36 minutes.
Bright spots were few for the Wolves, who had swept a three-game road trip last week, becoming one of just two teams to get a win at Golden State this season. Despite being well out of the playoff race, those wins were signs of hope.
The 12 points by Minnesota forward Karl Anthony-Towns made him the franchise’s all-time rookie scoring leader, surpassing the 1,473 points amassed by Christian Laettner in the 1992-93 season.
It was the third time this season Minnesota has allowed 129 points.
NOTES: Accolades keep piling up for Minnesota F/C Karl-Anthony Towns. It was announced on Monday that the rookie was named the Western Conference player of the week for April 4-10. On the Wolves’ unbeaten three-game West Coast road swing, Towns averaged 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He has been named the rookie of the month in the Western Conference for five consecutive months. … Rockets F Montrezl Harrell re-joined the team after serving a five-game suspension for shoving an official during a NBA Development League game but was inactive on Monday. The rookie from Louisville has played in 38 games for Houston this season. … The Rockets head back to Texas for their final regular-season game, hosting the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Minnesota stays at home for its final game of 2015-16, with the New Orleans Pelicans coming to Target Center on Wednesday.