"This was such a dangerous game. They had lost 10 in a row, they had a couple of days off to work out some things," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "They want to win. They're not trying to lose 11 in a row and they know they have to play harder and more together so when you're facing those odds, you have to play a good game. You can't assume you're going to win."

The Rockets, playing without All-Stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, have been pushing the tempo at Suns-like speed to try and compensate. They entered the night sixth in the NBA in scoring at 103.5 points per game and had topped 100 in 10 straight, their longest streak since 1995-96.

But they looked a little sluggish early on after losing to those Suns on Tuesday night. They had no trouble getting out on the break in their usual style, it was the finishing that was proving difficult.

They committed 14 turnovers in the first half to allow the Timberwolves to hang around.

Minnesota took a 34-29 lead about midway through the second quarter when Damien Wilkins threw down a rebound-dunk. But the veteran swingman was given a technical foul for hanging on the rim, which stunted the momentum and woke up the Rockets.

Houston responded with a 15-2 run, getting eight points from Scola in the spurt and took a 48-42 lead into halftime.

Ramon Sessions had 16 points and five assists for Minnesota, which led 67-66 late in the third quarter. But as usual, the Timberwolves defense failed down the stretch. The Rockets had little problem getting to the basket or finding open jump shots in the fourth, quickly rebuilding a 12-point lead.

"If we are able to win against all of the bottom of the standings teams on a regular basis, we're going to have a lot of wins," Scola said. "We can beat some of the good teams once in a while, especially at home. That's going to put us in the playoffs for sure."

NOTES: Rockets PG Aaron Brooks committed eight of the team's 22 turnovers. ... Timberwolves G Corey Brewer has at least two steals in four straight games. ... Battier has hit a 3-pointer in 24 straight games. ... University of Minnesota coach Tubby Smith was in attendance to watch former Kentucky standout Chuck Hayes play for the Rockets.