Rockets Blow an Absolutely Golden Opportunity to Help Themselves in t…

The fourth quarter ended tied at 95 after a wild play where Rudy Gobert blocked a Kevin Durant jumper before eventually fouling out on the inbounds play.

Houston then turned the ball over, rather than getting an opportunity for a game winner. Thankfully Alpi got a game saving block on Julius Randle's fastbreak drive.

Now having to test their 1-6 record in overtime, the Rockets looked to get things handled in the next five minutes.

Minnesota continued to fall apart as Houston’s run extended to 24-2. Their 13-0 start to the extra period should’ve secured the win, but Minnesota responded with 13 unanswered points of their own.

With 55.5 seconds remaining, things were knotted at 108. Houston failed to score, allowing Julius Randle’s elbow jumper to give the Wolves the lead with 8.8 seconds left.

Durant missed Houston’s first free throw of the game with 3.3 on the game clock, forcing him to intentionally miss the second. He did just that, and the Rockets even got lucky enough to have the Wolves poke it out of bounds.

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Now with one final chance to get a bucket and send it to another overtime or just walk out a winner, possibly the worst outcome possible happened. They failed to even get a shot off.

The Rockets didn't even really get the ball inbounds, as it was tipped out of play before anyone could get possession. However, with only 1.1 on the clock at the time, there was no more time left by the time the ball was called dead. Final score 110-108 with the Timberwolves coming out on top.

• Every men’s and women’s player to be tested twice per year

• Players prevented from playing to be listed as ‘unavailable’

The AFL is preparing for an increase in players testing positive to drugs such as cocaine and MDMA due to more effective testing under a new illicit substances policy, even if the public will never find out.

The players union is adamant, however, the “revised” approach will reduce harm, despite the risk of some being exposed to innuendo when they are pulled from matches under a general explanation of “unavailable”.

Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets put together a 26-2 run on the road in a tight Western Conference game- likely the most exciting game of the season.

And they still lost.

Houston was down 93-82 to the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth, staring at another game slipping away. Out of nowhere, everything flipped. The defense tightened up, the pace picked up, and shots finally started to fall. The Rockets closed regulation on a 13-0 run, dragging this game into overtime with pure effort and chaos.

And right in the middle of that chaos came the play of the night.

With seconds left and Minnesota pushing in transition, Alperen Sengun tracked Julius Randle downhill and met him at the rim- sending it back with authority, taking the contact, and walking away with a bloody lip. It was the kind of play that felt like it should decide a game.

It didn’t.

Overtime opened with a jolt with Reed Sheppard knocking down a quick catch-and-release three, Sengun protecting the rim and finishing everything inside, Durant finally finding his rhythm after a near empty first three quarters.

Before Minnesota could settle, Houston had ripped off a 26-2 extended run.

Down 11… to up 13. And somehow, Houston wasted it- and as quickly as it came together, it completely unraveled.

The offense slowed. The urgency faded just enough, while Minnesota stayed composed while Houston lost control of the game it had just taken.

The Timberwolves answered with a 15-0 run of their own, flipping the entire game back in the final minutes of overtime. What felt like a statement stretch from Houston turned into a scramble at the end, including a sequence where Kevin Durant drew a foul under the goal and was forced to intentionally miss a free throw to create one last chance that never came.

Minnesota knocked it out of bounds with 1.1 seconds left.

The ball was deflected on the throw in by Terrence Shannon Jr., and time runs out.

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Game over.

You don’t get many chances to flip a game like that, especially on the road, especially this late in the season, and especially in a standings race this tight.

It took five minutes for the Rockets to steal the game, and three more in overtime to lose it. You just don’t lose this kind of game.

Final score: 110-108 Timberwolves

Yuki Yoza‘s rise in ONE has been defined by precision, composure, and a string of elite victories that have quickly positioned him among the best on the planet.

Now, that ascent has brought him to the biggest moment of his career. The former K-1 Champion challenges Jonathan “The General” Haggerty for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE Samurai 1 on Wednesday, April 29, inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.

Yet even as Yoza prepares for a career-defining opportunity, one unusual detail continues to set him apart from every other elite striker in the division.

It first caught the attention of global fans during his promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 109 in May 2025. After earning a unanimous decision over Elbrus “The Samurai” Osmanov, the Japanese star returned to his corner and casually removed his gloves, revealing he had fought without hand wraps.

The moment sparked immediate curiosity. In a sport where hand protection is considered fundamental, the choice stood out instantly. When Mitch Chilson asked about it in the ring, Yoza brushed it off with a grin, calling himself “crazy.” But behind that lighthearted answer was a more deliberate reason.

The 28-year-old said:

“I think I stopped using hand wraps in fights around my last four fights in K-1. I think it was when I fought Kongnapa [Weerasakreck].

“Originally, I didn’t use wraps in training anyway. Without them, I could use my wrist much more freely. How can I explain it? My wrist joint felt more flexible. But when I wrapped them for fights, I couldn’t move it the same way. I’d tense up.”

Rather than a spur-of-the-moment gamble, the decision grew naturally from his training habits. What felt normal in the gym began to feel restrictive under fight conditions, forcing him to reconsider what actually worked best for his body.

That realization led to a simple but bold experiment, one that would become a defining part of his identity as a fighter:

“So on a whim, I asked for permission to try fighting without them. And it felt incredibly natural. Since then, I’ve believed it’s better not to use them. So I don’t wrap my hands anymore.”

As Yoza refined his approach, he discovered that the absence of wraps was not just about comfort. It directly impacted the quality of his striking.

That technical edge has translated into results on the global stage. Following his debut win over Osmanov, Yoza defeated former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus and reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek, extending his overall winning streak to 13 fights.

He said:

“For example, when I throw a body shot, in training this part of my wrist moves freely, so I can turn it over and land the punch cleanly with the knuckles. But when it’s wrapped all the way here – for me at least – the wrist gets locked. Then sometimes this part hits instead. The same goes for hooks. I can’t land them effectively.

“But when I tried fighting without wraps, my wrist could turn properly again. And I’ve even scored knockdowns in fights without them. For me, this wrist movement is the key point. So the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages.”

Yoza’s Method Born Out Of Necessity

Yuki Yoza’s no-wrap approach may raise eyebrows among fans and fighters alike, but those closest to him see it very differently.

To them, it is simply part of who he is. That ease and familiarity with his methods have created a quiet confidence that extends beyond technique and into his overall mindset.

His relationship with hand wraps is so distant it borders on unintentional.

Yoza said:

“Actually, I can’t even wrap them myself. I don’t even know how to wrap hand bandages, even in training. I mostly just hit the mitts. I don’t do any specific training to strengthen my wrists or my knuckles.

“Not just my hands, but after fights I usually don’t have any injuries. My fists are probably fine because I trained in Kyokushin Karate, where we fight bare-knuckle. So it’s not a problem for me.”

Surrounded by elite strikers such as former three-division K-1 Champion Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa and former ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri, Yoza has built a reputation that removes doubt from the equation.

Among his coaches and teammates, there is no concern, only the expectation that he will emerge as he always does: unscathed and in control.

He said:

“Using hand wraps? No, I think it doesn’t matter either way. Personally, I don’t think it’s something you need to worry about that much.

“Whether you wrap your hands or not, you should just go with whatever feels best for you.”

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