BEIJING, April 14 -- In a new gash in their open wound of a season, the Rockets on Wednesday could not beat a team that many assumed had been trying to lose.

    In their first game since losing Yao Ming to a broken foot, the Rockets broke down entirely in the fourth quarter, collapsing to an 82-79 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, their sixth loss in seven games.

    By then, it hardly mattered that a game that once seemed to pit a who¡¯s who of stars was played by a who¡¯s-he gathering of backups and role players.

    ¡°You play to win; you play to win the game,¡± Rockets forward Chuck Hayes said.

    ¡°Both teams are in the same scenario. Both teams would have liked to have had better years. Both teams had their two leading scorers out. You play for pride and you play to win.¡±

    The Timberwolves left Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis at home. Rashad McCants and Troy Hudson were also out with injuries.

    The Timberwolves¡¯ starting lineup came in averaging 38.5 points per game.

    Playing without Yao and Tracy McGrady, as they will for their final three games, the Rockets (0-6 this season when playing without McGrady and Yao) trotted out a starting lineup averaging 43.2 points.

    But as inept as the Timberwolves were offensively to start the game, the Rockets were worse to finish it, until after nearly 12 minutes of malfunctions, they failed even when they succeeded, sinking the free throw they wanted to miss.

    ¡°When I want to make, I miss, and when I want to miss, that happens,¡± Luther Head said of his loss-clinching swish with the Timberwolves leading by two with 2.6 seconds left.

    ¡°You can call that luck or bad luck.¡±

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)