With the win, the fifth-seeded Rockets (24-15) pulled closer to the fourth-seeded Wolves (27-15) in the tightly packed Western Conference standings<\/a>.<\/p>\n Durant, a perennial All-Star and future Hall of Famer, was the big story.<\/p>\n On night two of a back-to-back for the Rockets (who lost to Oklahoma City on Thursday<\/a>), the 37-year-old finished with a season-high 39 points and 7 assists while making 11-of-18 shots (61.1%), 6-of-8 from 3-point range (75.0%), and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line (78.6%).<\/p>\n \u201cBe aggressive, and try to bounce back after last night,\u201d Durant told Space City Home Network\u2019s Vanessa Richardson<\/a> of his mindset. \u201dI just love that we’re staying together.\u201d<\/p>\n Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n The Timberwolves weren\u2019t on night two of a back-to-back, but they were without All-Star guard Anthony Edwards (toe infection<\/a>).<\/p>\n Beyond Durant, key individual statistics for both teams included:<\/p>\n Alperen Sengun: 25 points, 14 rebounds; 11-of-22 shooting (50.0%)Amen Thompson: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%)Reed Sheppard: 14 points, 2 assists in 19 minutes; 5-of-9 shooting (55.6%), 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%)Julius Randle (Timberwolves): 39 points, 4 rebounds; 14-of-25 shooting (56.0%), 2-of-5 on 3-pointers ($0.0%), 9-of-11 on free throws (81.8%)Rudy Gobert (Wolves): 10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), 2-of-10 on free throws (20.0%)Naz Reid (Wolves): 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists; 8-of-12 shooting (66.7%), 5-of-7 on 3-pointers (71.4%), 4-of-5 on free throws (80.0%)<\/p>\n Collectively, Houston shot 39-of-84 overall (46.4%) and 12-of-28 from 3-point range (42.9%), a dramatic improvement from recent games.<\/p>\n Next up for the Rockets is Sunday\u2019s matchup versus New Orleans (10-34), which is the fourth of a five-game homestand at Toyota Center.<\/p>\n Tipoff of Rockets-Pelicans is at 6:00 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised regionally\u00a0on Space City Home Network (SCHN)<\/a>\u00a0and nationally via\u00a0NBA League Pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n More: \u2018Exponentially better\u2019: Wolves impressed by Houston\u2019s Tristen Newton<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/V_ZkhNFj1Js\/maxresdefault.jpg\")