Going straight at a collapsing defense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t put the OKC ahead in the final seconds. Anthony Edwards made sure his drive to the basket wouldn’t result in a score. He jumped off the floor on the weak side to swat away the potential go-ahead layup.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-of-26 shooting, seven assists and five rebounds. He shot 3-of-7 from 3 and went 8-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals and two blocks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t make enough big plays down the stretch in their 112-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s their second loss in three games.

Even though the talent disparity is enormous, Gilgeous-Alexander’s rivalry with Edwards is one of the better ones in the NBA. Both players don’t hide away in the head-to-head matchups. Each shoe company has taken its shots at the other when given the chance. For the first time in a while, the former came up short in this latest round.

Against Minnesota, Gilgeous-Alexander dissected their defense. He knifed through multiple defenders like he usually does. He scored 11 points in the first quarter alone. It felt like he could be due for a big night. Instead, a scoreless second frame had him struggling with his jumper.

That allowed the Timberwolves to get back into it. It was obvious their defensive game plan started and stopped with Gilgeous-Alexander. Even with that, he got back into a flow in the second half. The jumper might’ve abandoned him, but his drives to the basket are always reliable.

In another clutch scenario, Gilgeous-Alexander conducted his business as usual to start. Welcoming the high-leverage pressure, he rattled in a handful of jumpers. The Timberwolves couldn’t do anything to slow him down. Alas, nobody else from OKC joined him in his frenzy.

Eventually, the Timberwolves made the Thunder pay for their mistakes. Edwards came away as the hero of this game. He hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds. Gilgeous-Alexander had a couple of chances to answer but couldn’t. There’s a first for everything, I guess.

While this wasn’t the superb-efficient version of Gilgeous-Alexander we usually see, he did enough to come away with the win. Once again, he was the best player on the floor. Even with Edwards’ late-game heroics. But OKC learned that you usually can’t win a game with one reliable scorer.

“I got blocked and stripped late in the game. I think the whole second half, we could’ve done a better job rebounding. Giving a team like that extra possessions doesn’t help at all. We were doing a good job on the first-shot offense. Especially when the game is being called that way,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Doing a good job the first time is hard to do. You get a stop, rebound and go the other way. When you don’t, you give them a whole other opportunity to score.”

Back in Minnesota, where the ‘free-throw merchant’ chants originated from, Gilgeous-Alexander was the top villain. Every time he had the ball in his hands, the crowd rained on him with booes. You can hear the chants and disproval through the broadcast. Finch’s antics only dropped gas on the fire. For the reigning MVP, he doesn’t care about the noise.

“I don’t care. Not one bit. I can’t control how the refs blow the whistle. Ever. I’ve never been able to. Never been a ref. All I can do is play basketball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s all I focus on. Trying to win games and championships.”