On March 23, 2012, one of the highest-scoring games in NBA history took place. In a matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Thunder came out on top 149-140 after two overtimes.
The Thunder were led by Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, while the Timberwolves featured only one superstar, Kevin Love. Michael Beasley was also part of the Wolves team, but unfortunately, he was injured for the game. Still, the level of play he witnessed that night is still etched in his memory.
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“Best game I ever watched, I was injured for that game, bro, I’m so hot. I wasn’t part of this game. Oklahoma-Minnesota Timberwolves fuc—ng, I think K-Love had 50, KD had like 40, Russ had 30 and triple double maybe, JJ Barea had a triple double, Rubio had damn near triple double, it was like 140, it was one of them. I was watching that s—t ni—a, KD was hitting some shots ni—a, I was like oh my motherfu—ing God,” Beasley recalled on the All The Smoke podcast.
Offensive showcase by the rising stars of the league
It’s been 13 years since that phenomenal matchup, so we can forgive Beasley getting some facts wrong.
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Ricky Rubio didn’t play that game, but JJ Barea did have the best game of his career, putting up 25 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in 47 minutes off the bench. Love set his career high that night with 51 points and 14 rebounds on 16-of-27 shooting, while the league has seen arguably the best performance from the OKC Big Three in the same game.
Westbrook scored 45 points with six assists on 17-of-28 shooting, Durant had 40 points and 17 rebounds and Harden contributed 25 points and six assists off the bench on 10-of-17 shooting.
Teaming up with Team USA
Just five months later, Love, Durant, Harden and Westbrook teamed up on the Team USA roster for the London Olympics, helping the squad win the gold medal. To this day, that team is considered one of the best in history.
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Even though they were really young at the time — none of them was older than 24 — they were already good enough to share the court with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Mike Krzyzewsky, coach at the time, saw how much talent was hidden in that group of guys, and the high-scoring clash between the Thunder and the Timberwolves only reinforced how special they were.
It was also a kind of generational shift for Team USA, since many of the players from the 2008 squad were already well into their 30s, and there was no room for mistakes when it came to selecting young players who would carry on the dominance.
Although these four players were far from the status they hold today, this game sent a message to the rest of the NBA — the future of the league was in good hands. It’s a shame Beasley wasn’t part of the game, as he surely would have fit perfectly into the offensive explosion that night.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.