At season’s end, Minnesota will likely rue Friday’s loss in Houston, even sans star guard Anthony Edwards.

Minnesota let a game it could’ve had get away against an uninspiring Rockets team thanks to eight turnovers in the final frame, an inability or unwillingness to take away Kevin Durant’s air space and, perhaps most annoyingly, missed free throws.

The Timberwolves went 20 for 35 from the stripe in a 110-105 loss to the Rockets.

That can’t be solely blamed for the loss because, well, Houston only went 20 for 34 itself. The incompetence of both teams re: cashing in “freebies” cancelled out one another. But the fact remains had Minnesota hit its free throws, it may very well have won the game.

But that’s not an area of the game the Wolves can rely on this season.

Minnesota is one of the best shooting teams in the NBA. It entered Friday’s affair ranked fourth in the league in effective field goal percentage and fifth in true shooting percentage. Shot making is one of the team’s primary strengths.

Yet after the debacle at the stripe Friday, the Wolves are now shooting just 74.7% from the line this season — third-worst in the association.

Yes, Rudy Gobert can shoulder the bulk of the blame. He failed to draw iron on multiple attempts in Houston. His 2 for 10 performance at the line dropped his season-long average to 50.6%, which would be his lowest mark since his rookie campaign by a wide margin.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots a free throw during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

But Anthony Edwards is down to 78% this season after sitting at 83% each of the prior two seasons. Donte DiVincenzo is shooting just 76% from the line.

Seven teams in the NBA hit at least 80.6% of their free-throw attempts as a collective. Jaden McDaniels is the only Wolves player receiving a heavy dose of minutes who clears that threshold on an individual basis (83.2%).

Somehow, this team that frequently knocks down difficult shots throughout the course of the game can’t make the easy ones literally given to them. It’s a problem for a team that averages the sixth-most free-throw attempts per game (26.1). It’s a departure from where the Wolves were a year ago, when they knocked down 78.9% of their free-throw attempts, which tied for the ninth-best rate of makes in the NBA.

Minnesota is surrendering 6.5 points per game simply off misses at the free-throw line. Many more misses than that is why the Wolves dropped Friday’s game in Houston.

The Timberwolves are shooting just 74% from the free-throw line in losses this season. It’s an issue that cost Minnesota on Friday, and could rear its head again at inopportune times when the stakes are at their highest in the months to come.

Simply removing Gobert from the floor doesn’t seem to solve the equation.

Minnesota needs to find the answer before the regular season detriment evolves into a playoff disaster.

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HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 39 points and made a season-best six 3-pointers to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 16: Julius Randle #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the second quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on January 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

Alperen Sengun added 25 points with 14 rebounds to help the Rockets bounce back after a blowout loss to Oklahoma City Thursday night.

A 6-2 run by the Timberwolves, with four points from Julius Randle, got them within 105-102 with about 90 seconds to go. Sengun fouled out soon after that and Jaden McDaniels made one of two free throws to get Minnesota within two points.

Durant made two free throws with under a minute left before Randle turned the ball over and Durant was fouled again. He made two more free throws with 22.1 seconds left to seal the victory.

Durant’s big shooting night came after he was 0 for 5 on 3-pointers against the Thunder.

Randle had season-high 39 points for the Timberwolves on a night when Anthony Edwards missed a second straight game with a foot issue.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Timberwolves trailed by six points after a basket by Bones Hyland before Rudy Gobert missed a chance to close the gap by missing three of his next four free throws. Houston remained up by 5 later in the fourth, but a dunk by Sengun extended the lead to 103-96 with 3½ minutes left.

Neither team shot well from the free throw line, with Houston making just 20 of 34 and Minnesota going 20 for 35. Gobert had the worst night, going 2 for 10 on free throws.

Naz Reid added 25 points with 10 rebounds off the bench for the Timberwolves, who scored at least 100 points in their 100th straight game, which is the third-longest such streak in NBA history.

Minnesota fell to 27-14 with the loss, but still hold a two-game lead on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings. Next up for the Timberwolves is a trip to San Antonio on Saturday for a 7 p.m. start. The game will be televised on FDSN.

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The No. 3 Minnesota women’s hockey team scored five goals, while the Gopher men allowed five goals to No. 1 Michigan in a night of split results on the rink.

Gophers women top Bemidji State

A 5-3 win at Bemidji State improved the Minnesota women’s record to 18-4 overall on the season as the Gophers took a 5-0 lead through two periods before allowing their host a trio of scores in the final frame.

Abbey Murphy put the visitors in the lead for good with a goal at 15:10 of the first period, an advantage that was doubled just 14 seconds later by Ava Lindsay as Minnesota took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

The onslaught continued in the second period, with Kendra Distad scoring at 10:20, followed by an Annabella Fanale goal at 11:08, and one final tally by Sydney Morrow on the power play at 17:27.

Bemidji State had a mini uprising in the third period, but it wasn’t enough as Gopher goaltender Hannah Clark made 16 saves in the victory.

With the win, Minnesota remained solidly in third place in the WCHA with a 13-4 record in conference play, one game behind second-place Ohio State (14-3) and circuit leader Wisconsin (14-1-2).

The Gophers and Beavers play against at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in a game televised on BTN+.

Wolverines roll Gophers men

It was a different story back in Minneapolis, where the nation’s top-ranked team, Michigan, turned a close game into a 5-1 blowout at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Wolverines and Gophers were tied at 1-all after the first period as Tanner Ludtke‘s goal at 18:33 countered Michigan’s opening tally at 5:14.

However, it was all Michigan from there as the visitors scored two goals 20 seconds apart midway through the second period and then added two more in the third to skate away with the four-goal triumph despite 47 saves from Gophers goaltender Luca Di Pasquo, while his teammates put just 18 shots on net in the contest.

The Wolverines improved to a Big Ten-best 19-4 overall and 10-3 in conference play. Minnesota fell to 8-13-1 overall and just 4-7 in the circuit.

The conference rivals meet once again at 6 p.m. Saturday at Mariucci, with the game televised by both Fox 9+ and BTN+.

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Kendall Coyne Schofield scored the game winner just 52 seconds into overtime as the Minnesota Frost claimed a 3-2 win over the New York Sirens in Newark, N.J. Friday evening.

The Frost never trailed in the contest, but couldn’t shake the hosts either.

Britta Curl-Salemme continued her splendid campaign by scoring the opening goal of the game at 8:55 of the opening period. The lead didn’t last, as New York knotted the score at 1-all on a Casey O’Brien goal at 16:24.

It took just 35 seconds into the second period for the Frost to go back on top with a goal by Kelly Pannek. Once again, the Sirens battled back to tie the contest on a Taylor Girard tally at 4:04.

The score remained 2-2 from there through the remainder of the second and all of the third period until Coyne Schofield ended it in the first minute of the added stanza.

Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, and Grace Zumwinkle logged assists on a 13-shot night for Minnesota, while goaltender Nicole Hensley made 10 saves to secure the victory.

The win was Minnesota’s second in a row, and moved the Frost two points ahead of Montreal for second place in the PWHL with 21 points (5-2-2-3). Boston continues to lead the league with 26 points (8-0-2-2).

Minnesota hosts Montreal next, with a puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Grand Casino Arena.

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