NBA League Pass Featured Matchup: Rockets vs. Timberwolves (8 ET)

Here are five key things to note before tuning in to watch these Western Conference teams battle it out in an NBA Cup matchup on Tuesday.

Rockets rolling. Expectations were high for this young team coming into the season and they’ve lived up to them thus far. Houston has won seven of its last nine games and is 12-6 overall, ranking ninth in scoring while leading the NBA in rebounding.Timberwolves tumbling? Minnesota has lost five of its last seven games, including a close loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday that dropped the Timberwolves to 8-8. The team is still adjusting after dealing Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason and, thankfully, Minnesota has more than enough talent and time to get back on track.NBA Cup ramifications. The Rockets are 2-0 in NBA Cup play, winning those games by an average of 24.5 points per game — the highest point differential in the NBA Cup. The Timberwolves are 1-1 Cup play, beating the Sacramento Kings and losing to the Portland Trail Blazers. A win for Houston would guarantee them a spot in knockout round of the NBA Cup.Battle of the big men. Alperen Şengün has been one of the best big men in the NBA, averaging 20.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in his last nine games. He may be hard-pressed to replicate those stats against Minnesota’s frontline of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid.Minnesota’s dominance in this series. The Timberwolves have throttled the Rockets over recent years, sweeping the three-game season series last year and winning 10 of the last 11 games in this series. Each of those 10 wins were decided by at least seven points.