The Timberwolves’ late-game offense has been a salve for many of the team’s issues for much of the season. Poor play for 40-plus minutes has been covered up by key shotmaking in a number of instances that turned losses into wins. But Tuesday against Houston, that late-game offense was, in fact, the issue. Minnesota had a stretch where it missed 12 of 13 initial shot attempts, only scoring via second-chance opportunities as the offense sputtered to the finish line in a 117-111 loss to the Rockets. The Wolves’ third straight loss dropped them to 1-2 in NBA Cup play, decreasing their odds of reaching the knockout round to almost zero. “Trying to do too much all by ourselves offensively,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. But that’s been the formula for success late in games for Minnesota much of this season. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle have the innate ability to turn nothing into something. But the well ran dry, and it cost Minnesota dearly. The Wolves trailed by 17 in the third quarter when the second unit — featuring rookie point guard Rob Dillingham and Naz Reid — sparked a 16-0 run that put Minnesota back into the ballgame. The momentum carried forward, and the Wolves led by five with two minutes to play. Houston looked more dead than Minnesota did a quarter prior. The Rockets’ offense was nonexistent. They went 6 for 22 from the floor in the fourth. But Minnesota continued to err offensively, which creaked the door open just enough for the Rockets. Dillingham was spectacular Tuesday in what was his best game to date. He finished with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds. With Mike Conley missing a third straight game with a sprained toe, Dillingham was Minnesota’s only floor general, and it showed. The offense flowed better with the 19 year old in the game. But the rookie also committed a costly turnover late that led to Houston’s tying layup near the end of regulation. The Wolves (8-9) effectively gave life to the Rockets (13-6). “I thought we were a little too frantic at the end of the game,” Finch said. “I was trying to get some play calls out there, but guys were just breaking it off, going when they thought they had an opportunity. Having said that, we still benefited from some good looks that we didn’t knock down. We put a lot of pressure on the rim. But we needed to be a little bit more organized there, for sure” It was all Houston in the extra session, as the Wolves couldn’t buy a bucket, and Houston quickly built an eight-point edge. “It’s tough,” Randle said. “We fought extremely hard to get back in the game and had a lead down the stretch. Just got to close it out better. We’ve closed games out great this year, and we just didn’t tonight.” The problem is it always comes down to that for the Wolves, who consistently find themselves having to dig out of holes. Tuesday was no different. Minnesota lacks urgency out of the gates of any contest. “I think from the way it feels, it feels like when we start the game, the other team is a little more alert, a little more physical and yeah, we always take one quarter or one half to get going. And we get slapped in the face and all of a sudden we realize that if we don’t react, we’re gonna get embarrassed,” Rudy Gobert said. “So we know it. We’ve talked about it a few weeks ago, about starting the games better. We got to find it. We got to find it. I like the fact that we don’t just let up. It’s a good sign. We don’t quit. I think we’re a very resilient team. But we have to find a way to play with that same edge from the tip.”