OKC Thunder's Physicality Gives Them a Chance at Top Spot in the West

Oklahoma City is just one game out of first place in the Western Conference thanks to a win on Saturday night and some help from the Charlotte Hornets.

On Saturday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 102-97 slugfest. 

With both teams shooting significantly worse than usual from the floor and from 3-point range, both the Thunder and Wolves had to find a different way to win Saturday's matchup between the top two teams in the Western Conference.

In the end, OKC came out on top in large part due to late-game heroics from superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The team, however, credits their physicality and mental toughness for the win. 

"I just thought we did a good job being physical. Thought we really ramped it up, especially in that fourth (quarter)," second-year wing Jalen Williams said after the game. "Just kind of relied on stops because we didn't shoot the ball well, so I think in that aspect, you know, we're maturing. Understanding what it takes to, kind of, gut out and win games."

On Saturday night in Minnesota, the Thunder shot just 39.5% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range yet were still able to take down the No. 1 team in the Western Conference. 

As Williams' mentioned, Oklahoma City's defense played a big part in the team's comeback against the Wolves. OKC forced 21 turnovers and recorded 12 steals, holding Anthony Edwards and company to 41.3% from the floor on 75 field goal attempts. 

After the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised his team's defensive effort.

"It's one thing to defend like that, but it's another when you're shooting the ball so poorly,"  Daigneault said. "We were able to string together stops... I just thought our ability to defend, despite an imperfect night, showed great mental toughness by our team."

On Monday evening, the Timberwolves dropped a game to the Charlotte Hornets, who were 9-31 entering the contest. To make matters even worse, Karl-Anthony Towns scored a whopping 62 points, yet Minnesota still could not overcome 55 combined points from Miles Bridges and rookie Brandon Miller.

With the Timberwolves' loss, Oklahoma City is on the doorstep of taking over the top spot in the West and could do so with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. 

The last time the two squads met, the Thunder recorded a historic, 62-point victory over Portland. 

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