Minnesota @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 18, 2018 ) Houston 129, Minnesota 120

The Minnesota Timberwolves needed to scratch their way to an overtime victory on the final day of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot - the franchise's first since Kevin Garnett led the team to the 2004 Western Conference finals. The Timberwolves' reward for that strong finish is a date with the NBA-best Houston Rockets, who host Game 1 of the first-round series on Sunday.

Minnesota has been in playoff mode for well over a week after winning its last three regular-season games to stay alive and finally clinch a spot in the postseason, with All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler leading the way. "Let's keep it going," Butler told reporters. "It's no different now. It’s basketball. There's no pressure on us. We've just got to go out and hoop." The pressure would be on the top-seeded Rockets, who set a franchise record with 65 wins during the regular season and appear poised to disrupt the Golden State-Cleveland lock on the NBA Finals. "We've enjoyed the year. It's been a great year," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "Now it's time for the second phase of it. I think everybody's anxious to get started."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TNT, FS North (Minnesota), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (47-35): Minnesota hovered around the third or fourth spot in the West for much of the season before falling off when Butler went down with a knee injury. Butler's return sparked the team down the stretch, and the No. 8 seed and a date with the Rockets is not about to intimidate the Timberwolves. "We’re a talented group, we got a lot of talent on this team,” point guard Jeff Teague, whose Atlanta squad took top-seeded Indiana to seven games in the 2014 postseason, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "In the playoffs, you need someone who can make shots and take over games at times. I think we have a lot of people on this team who can take over games and have moments. It’s all about having fun now. There’s no pressure on us. We got in, eighth seed. I’ve been there and it’s a lot of fun. When you're the eighth seed, I promise you it’s a lot of fun."

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (65-17): Houston is led by superstar guard James Harden, who is the odds-on favorite to win his first MVP award this season after leading the league in scoring at an average of 30.4 points and adding 8.8 assists. The difference for the team this time around in the playoffs is that Harden has another future Hall of Famer in the backcourt with the addition of point guard Chris Paul, who is in awe of his teammate. "You just never get this opportunity too often in your career to play with somebody like James," Paul told reporters. "You get a chance to appreciate greatness. What he's doing on a nightly basis and stuff like that, it's crazy, and I'm grateful that I get the opportunity to play alongside him."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets PF Ryan Anderson (ankle) is questionable for Sunday while PF Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) could miss the entire series.

2. Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns led the NBA with 68 double-doubles while averaging 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds.

3. Houston took all four meetings in the regular season with Harden averaging 27.3 points and 10.3 assists.

PREDICTION: Rockets 119, Timberwolves 106