Brewer's 51 lifts Wolves over Rockets 112-110

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Corey Brewer scored a career-high 51 points and Gorgui Dieng hit a short jumper with 4.6 seconds to play to lift the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves to a 112-110 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

Brewer made 19 of 30 shots, easily surpassing his previous career high of 29 points. He became the fifth player this season to score 50 in a game, and the Wolves scored a staggering 39 points in transition against Houston's woeful defense.

James Harden hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds to go that tied it at 110, but the rookie Dieng calmly knocked down the game-winner for the Wolves, who were missing All-Star Kevin Love with a hyperextended right elbow.

Harden had 33 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Rockets, who entered the night just 1 1/2 games ahead of Portland for the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Brewer scored in every way imaginable, ripping a Houston defense missing its two defensive leaders - Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley - for the eighth straight game. He hit jumpers, runners, dunks, free throws and even added a heave from beyond half-court to beat the halftime buzzer.

He eclipsed 50 with a pair of free throws with 1:43 to play that gave Minnesota a 105-103 lead. He joined Kevin Durant (twice), LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Terrence Ross in the 50-point club for this season.

Dante Cunningham had 20 points and 13 rebounds for a Wolves team that was also missing Nikola Pekovic (right foot), Kevin Martin (right heel), Chase Budinger (right ankle) and Shabazz Muhammad (right knee). Ricky Rubio had 16 points and 10 assists, and Dieng added 12 points and 20 rebounds.

Chandler Parsons had 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets.

Howard and Beverley are tone-setters for Houston on defense, with Howard prowling the paint and Beverley hounding point guards on the perimeter, so it comes as no surprise that the Rockets have struggled in their absence. But 51 points from Corey Brewer?

Brewer was averaging 11.7 points per game this season, most of which came on outlet passes in transition from Love. His quarterback could only watch from the bench on Friday night, but Brewer still managed to tie Love's franchise record for points in a game.

McHale has openly lamented his team's poor transition defense, saying the Rockets desperately need some practice time for a refresher course. With the playoffs looming, there's not much time to make wholesale changes. If the playoffs started on Saturday, the Rockets would play fifth-seeded Portland in the first round, and Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and the Blazers would certainly test those defensive shortcomings.

McHale went with a smaller lineup, taking Omer Asik out and essentially playing Terrence Jones at the center spot in the second quarter, and it seemed to help slow the Wolves transition game a little bit. Parsons hit 7 of 9 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, to help the Rockets stay in the game.

They led 63-59 at halftime, but Brewer kept coming. He scored Minnesota's final 10 points of the third to cut the deficit to 84-82 heading into the fourth.

His runner in transition gave the Wolves a 91-87 lead three minutes into the final period, bringing the Target Center crowd to its feet.

NOTES: The Rockets had 22 turnovers that led to 28 points for Minnesota. ... The Timberwolves held a moment of silence before the game for six-time All-Star Lou Hudson, who died on Friday. Hudson starred in college at the University of Minnesota. ... J.J. Barea returned from a one-game absence for the Wolves and was given a technical foul in the second quarter for slamming the ball on the court in frustration. The ball bounced about 15 feet into the air and went over the backboard.