Two of the premier teams the Western Conference has to offer — the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves — are set to do battle in a nationally-televised bout on this Friday (Jan. 16) night as they play host to the Wolves in their home arena of Toyota Center.

The Houston Rockets aim to rebound against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight after a significant loss. Despite Minnesota's recent success, the Rockets hold a home-court advantage and are favored to win,

A win or two this weekend could wind up having major seeding implications in a few months.

Joan Beringer was excellent in his first meaningful minutes for Minnesota on Tuesday in Milwaukee, tallying 13 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes on a night where the Wolves were without a suspended Rudy Gobert.

Two weeks ago, the Wolves stumbled into one of their worst losses in recent memory. Now there’s an emerging national narrative about their championship chances.

Anthony Edwards scored 24 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves rode timely 3-pointers from Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr. to a 103-100 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday.

Julius Randle scored 29 points and the hot-shooting Minnesota Timberwolves never trailed in a 139-106 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good during an immigration operation in Minneapolis earlier this week.