Schedule and 2017-18 Results
Regular Season Records: Houston 65-17, Minnesota 47-35
Game 1 on Sunday 15 April: Minnesota loses at Houston, 104-pts-101
Game 2 on Wednesday 18 April: Minnesota loses at Houston, 102-pts-82
Game 3 on Saturday 21 April: Houston loses at Minnesota, 121-pts-105
Game 4 on Monday 23 April: Houston wins at Minnesota, 119-pts-100
Game 5 on Wednesday 25 April: Minnesota loses at Houston, 122-pts-104

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Houston Rockets hosted and topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-pts-104 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1372 victory. With the series 1372 win, the Houston Rockets improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 17-19 overall and 4-7 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1372 loss, the Minnesota Timberwolves see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Houston Rockets in series 1372 was WWLWW: Series 1372 thus becomes the 18th NBA Preliminary-round series, the 59th NBA series (all rounds), and the 121st MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion.

After Game 4: The Houston Rockets visited and bested the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-pts-100 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1372 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 7-0 and a Game 5 record of 5-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 5 record of 1-0. The 50-point third quarter by the Houston Rockets in series 1372 Game 4 breaks the best-of-7 NBA playoff game record for most third-quarter points by one team, previously held by the Los Angeles Lakers in series 494 Game 1 (49 points, against the Golden State Warriors in Los Angeles, in the 1987 NBA Quarterfinals). The 50-point third quarter by the Houston Rockets in series 1372 Game 4 fell one point shy of the most points by one team in any best-of-7 NBA playoff game quarter, set by the Los Angeles Lakers in series 149 Game 5 (51 fourth-quarter points, against the Detroit Pistons in Los Angeles, in the 1962 NBA Semifinals).

After Game 3: The Minnesota Timberwolves hosted and defeated the Houston Rockets 121-pts-105 to drop the Houston Rockets best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1372 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 10-2 and a Game 4 record of 6-6. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 4 record of 0-1.

After Game 2: The Houston Rockets hosted and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-pts-82 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1372 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 6-2 and a Game 3 record of 2-6. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a series record of 0-0 and a Game 3 record of 0-0; Minnesota faces a two-games-nil best-of-7 NBA playoff series deficit for the first time. The series 1372 Game 2 loss by the Minnesota Timberwolves ruins their previously perfect 4-0 best-of-7 NBA playoff Game 2 record, leaving the old NBA Syracuse Nationals alone atop the best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff Game 2 table with their forever-perfect 5-0 Game 2 record.

After Game 1: The Houston Rockets hosted and bested the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-pts-101 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1372 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 11-4 and a Game 2 record of 8-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a series record of 1-2 and a Game 2 record of 3-0.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2017-18 NBA regular season, the Houston Rockets finished 18 games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. From 1947 through the 2017 NBA Finals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 18 regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 7-0 (1.000) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1372 is the 36th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Houston Rockets, and the fifth for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Houston Rockets have an all-rounds series record of 16-19, a Preliminary-round series record of 3-7, and a Game 1 record of 15-20, while the Minnesota Timberwolves have an all-rounds series record of 2-2, a Preliminary-round series record of 1-1, and a Game 1 record of 1-3. Series 1372 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.