Thunder Falls Flat In 4th Quarter, Suffers Second Straight Loss to Timberwolves

Despite big games from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the Oklahoma City Thunder fell short in the final period to extend its losing streak to two games ahead of facing the Denver Nuggets.

Just one game after losing to the Cade Cunningham-less Detroit Pistons, the Oklahoma City Thunder once again took the court with a win in mind, this time facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the two teams' final matchup of the season.

A win against Minnesota not only would help keep Oklahoma City at the top of the conference standings, but also secure the tiebreaker over it, especially if both teams continue to play well.

Despite the two squads' best efforts, however, it was Minnesota who came out on top, securing a 107-101 road victory over the Thunder.

Karl Anthony-Towns and Anthony Edwards led the way for the Timberwolves, combining for 48 points on the night, while Rudy Gobert notched a double-double of his own to back up his two teammates. 

For the Thunder, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams who held down the fort, as they scored 37 and 20 points, respectively in the losing effort.

Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Karl Anthony-Towns lays the ball up over Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

From the jump, both teams engaged in a back-and-forth matchup. Gobert and Williams scored first for their teams as the Thunder played sightly from behind through the end of the first period, going down by one point to close out the first 12 minutes.

The second quarter saw more of the same. Williams, Jaylin Williams and Vasilije Micic joined in on the scoring effort, but as it went in the first quarter, their efforts were countered by the Timberwolves, whose lead held firm at 49-47 heading to halftime.

As Oklahoma City continued to chase Minnesota's lead, it found quick success behind an 11-0 run, which Gilgeous-Alexander led. He didn't score the final punch heading to the fourth, but he did notch the assist, finding Jalen Williams on the right wing for a quarter-closing 3-pointer.

Closed out quarter 3 with a 3 👌 https://t.co/HD5JxCKWbL pic.twitter.com/InMhP8SLaj

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 30, 2024

At that point, Oklahoma City had both the lead and the momentum, but it wasn't long before Minnesota responded with a pair of free-throw makes and a 3-pointer to re-take the lead. 

And from there, the Thunder just couldn't get back into it. 

It seemed that all of its efforts were used to clawing back into the lead, and even when it gained an edge over the Timberwolves, it was given right back as Minnesota eventually held on to win 107-101.

With the loss, the Thunder falls to 32-15 on the year and suffers a second straight loss. Now, its ideal winning streak is a losing one as it looks ahead to hosting the Denver Nuggets at home looking for a rebound win.

Tipoff from Paycom Center is set for 7 p.m. CST Wednesday.

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