In battle of West's best, Thunder escape with win over Wolves
It was certainly messier than you’d expect for a game between the top-two teams in the Western Conference standings.
The Timberwolves were turnover prone early and the Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t shooting the ball particularly well, but back in the realm of what you would expect, there was plenty of back and forth throughout Saturday night’s contest at Target Center, and it went right down to the wire.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a key 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining, and the Thunder hit six late free throws — four out of the hands of Jalen Williams — down the stretch to escape Minneapolis with a 102-97 victory.
The Thunder win cuts the Wolves' lead in the West from two games to one.
Anthony Edwards got a look at a game-tying 3-point attempt and was fouled on the shot with 3.4 seconds remaining. But he missed the first two of his free-throw attempts and then tried to throw the third off the backboard to himself, but officials ruled it didn't hit the rim and it was Thunder basketball.
Williams was fouled on the other end and hit two free throws to ice the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points and six assists, Williams scored 20 and Minnehaha Academy grad Chet Holmgren, who got his jersey retired at the high school Friday night in front of his Thunder teammates, had 15 and five boards.
But overall the Thunder struggled to shoot the basketball, hitting on just 39.5% of their shots and 33.3% from long range. But the Wolves were doomed by 21 turnovers.
The Timberwolves (30-12) were playing from behind after a horrendous first quarter filled with turnovers that saw them fall behind 30-15 late in the frame. But Minnesota closed the quarter on a 9-0 run — getting 3-pointers from Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson, plus an and-1 layup from Edwards — cutting its deficit to six points heading into the second frame.
It became an 18-2 run for the Wolves as a 3 from Reid gave them their first lead at 33-32 in the second quarter. Minnesota traded leads with Oklahoma City (29-13) for the rest of the quarter, with the Thunder taking a 57-54 advantage into the half.
It looked like the Wolves were going to take complete control in the third quarter, getting a pair of 3s from Reid and six points from Edwards while holding the Thunder to just 17 points in the frame. They led by nine points at the end of the quarter.
Reid once again provided a needed spark off the bench, providing an answer for the Wolves whenever they needed one. He finished with 18 points, three rebounds and provided four blocks on the defensive end — all four coming in the first half.
Jaden McDaniels continued his offensive resurgence, as well, particularly in the first half. He scored 12 of his 15 points in the opening 24 minutes, shooting 3 of 5 from 3-point range and 6 of 11 overall from the field.
Mike Conley, on the other hand, was off all night. He shot just 1 of 11 from the field despite mostly having good looks and finished with three points and four assists. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch described it as just one of those nights.
In the end, it ended up being one of those nights for the Timberwolves. They missed too many chances when it mattered late, and the Thunder took their opportunity to steal a win in Minneapolis.
Final key stats
- Anthony Edwards: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
- Naz Reid: 18 points, 4 blocks, 3 rebounds
- Jaden McDaniels: 15 points, 2 rebounds
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 33 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
- Jalen Williams: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
