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The Rockets held a two-point lead midway through the fourth quarter before Ball scored seven points during a 10-2 run that put the Timberwolves ahead 104-98.
A Kuminga three-pointer, an Ayo Dosunmu steal, and a Kuminga tip-in pushed Minnesota's lead to 111-104 with about two minutes remaining.
Kevin Durant sank two free throws for Houston, but another Kuminga triple extended the margin to 114-106 as the Rockets ran out of answers down the stretch.
LaMelo Ball scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for Minnesota, following up a season-high 34-point performance in his previous outing.
Kuminga finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels contributed 14 points and eight boards for the Timberwolves.
On the other side, Alperen Sengun notched his 13th career triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Durant added 21 points, and Fred VanVleet had 18. Bogdan Bogdanovic played under five minutes and went scoreless without registering on the stat sheet.
This marks just the second loss of the season for Houston.
NBA Standings:
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