Finally, Glen Rice felt right, like himself again. The pain of the preseason injuries was gone. All those missed shots were behind him. He had just enough time. The ball felt good in his hands. And for 24 feet of its flight, everything was right.

But Rice did what the Rockets have done a lot of so far. He missed.

His 3-point attempt trey at the final buzzer caught rim, then danced all over it before flying out as the Timberwolves escaped Saturday night with a 90-88 win over the Rockets before 10,724 fans at Compaq Center.