Sebastian Telfair's strained groin kept him out of Sunday's game against Houston and thrust new Timberwolves guard Bobby Brown into his most visible role since he was acquired from Sacramento 10 days earlier.
Brown was the first player off the bench and played 21 minutes, four more than his 17-minute, 15-point game Friday against Portland. This time, he scored five points on 2-for-9 shooting and had four assists and a turnover.
He went undrafted out of Cal State-Fullerton in 2007 and played in Germany for a year before his play in the Las Vegas Summer League last summer impressed enough for the Kings to sign him to a two-year deal.
"It felt like two years," Brown said of his season overseas. "But it made me humble. It made me respect the game a lot more and not take anything for granted. I had a great coach was on me all the time and I brought that back with me to the States."
It also taught him patience, a quality he has needed in a NBA rookie season when he saw uneven playing time with the Kings before they traded him with Shelden Williams to the Wolves for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.
"Anything Coach (Kevin McHale) needs, I think I am able to provide," he said. "I'm going to continue to bring in energy off the bench. I want to make plays for other guys and show that I can play and that I belong here."
After Brown played just nine minutes in his first two games with the Wolves, McHale said he knew his new guard could do some "stuff."
Just what that is became a little more clear after the last two games.
"It's going to have to be 'learn as you go,' but things always have a way of working their way out," McHale said. "He did a nice job. He's got a little savvy to him."
ROCKETS 105, WOLVES 94: The Rockets possess big players with big names, but the one the Timberwolves can't seem to stop is little second-year guard Aaron Brooks.
In Sunday's victory, Yao Ming scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked a season-high six shots.
Luis Scola had a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) of his own and Ron Artest scored a team-high 23 that included three three-pointers.
But Brooks was the guy you might least expect to reach a double-double.
He's done it only twice in his career, and both times were in Target Center.
Sunday, his 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting and a career-high 10 assists helped the Rockets end a four-game road losing streak.
The Wolves aimed to stop Yao, so something had to give. The beneficiary was Brooks, whose only other career double-double came here Dec. 20 in an 18-point, 10 rebound performance.
Six Rockets players finished in double-figures on a night when the Rockets' 17-0 run midway through the third quarter turned a tied score into a runaway victory.
The Wolves now have lost six straight, 11 of their past 12 and are 1-8 since Al Jefferson was lost for the season because of a torn knee ligament. They've also lost their last nine at home.
