An NBA game turned into a WWE Money in the Bank Ladder Match on Wednesday.
That’s what it felt like when watching OKC’s home game against Minnesota. It was 48 minutes of elbows being thrown, players flying out of the ring and a storyline so good it must’ve been scripted. And it all came down to which team could elevate its game and rise to the occasion, snatching the metaphorical briefcase from the rafters.
What did it contain? An NBA Cup group play win.
Of course, you can’t take that to the bank. But the victory would strengthen the winner’s chances of reaching the in-season tournament’s knockout round, where a very real check of $530,933 awaits each player on the championship team.
OKC ultimately became one step closer to that goal by prying a 113-105 win away from Minnesota’s clutches. The Thunder is now 3-0 in NBA Cup group play with one game remaining, and it’s first in Group A of the Western Conference.
“The games mean a little bit more,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the NBA Cup. “You can literally earn money by winning these types of games, so there’s a little bit of incentive behind it. A little bit more just waking up and playing, for sure.”
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Jaylin Williams set the tone for OKC’s sense of urgency, to nobody’s surprise.
This is the same guy who was adamant about winning the Cup prize money last season, psyching his teammates up both in person and via text messages. It’s also the guy who suggested Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gift everyone on a team a Rolex watch when he won the 2024-25 Most Valuable Player award.
And in the first quarter, just a few minutes after he checked into the game, Williams laid out with money on the line. He flew out of bounds for a loose ball along the baseline and even knocked one fan down in the process. They both were fine, and they hugged it out afterwards.
Williams also embraced finding his teammates in order to provide a spark. He sliced up Minnesota’s defense with sharp passes, skipping the ball to cutters for easy finishes at the rim. So did Isaiah Hartenstein, another big man who specializes in doing the little things.
Williams and Hartenstein combined for four assists on Wednesday. Three of them came during the first half, as OKC claimed a 49-39 lead.
“I’ve always had that in my game,” Hartenstein said of his passing. “I think people are starting to notice that they need easy looks like that. I think (Williams and I) are both probably one of the best passing bigs in the league. It’s just another weapon that I think we can use as a team.”
In the world of wrestling, every event needs a heel. A villain who antagonizes other competitors and the crowd. And that was Rudy Gobert, who received the loudest boos during Minnesota’s starting lineup introduction.
But they didn’t bother the 7-foot-1 Frenchman. He calmly walked onto the floor and high-fived his teammates as Star Wars’ Imperial March, Darth Vader’s theme song, was played.
Those boos only intensified throughout the night. The Timberwolves were eager to besmirch the Thunder’s pristine Cup record by mucking up the game, and Gobert led the way.
Those who dared to attack the rim were met by his long arm of the law, which prevented clean looks. And even Alex Caruso caught an elbow from said arm during a layup attempt midway through the fourth quarter.
In a game filled with hard fouls on both sides, that one was the hardest. Gobert was given a flagrant foul as more boos rained down on him, but he once again looked unbothered. He was playing his role for the Timberwolves, who refused to go away down the stretch like a bad stain.
“It was a game that was in the mud,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought both teams played a hard-fought, physical game. … I just think tonight was one of those games where the game didn’t provide the energy for us. It was a little clunky. It was physical. It was a lot of stoppages. It was just difficult for the game to provide the energy, so on those nights you’ve got to have a team that can provide its own energy.”
As the bruising battle neared its end, it became time for someone to climb the ladder. Someone needed to rise to the occasion and snatch the briefcase, securing that prized NBA Cup win.
It was only right that OKC turned to its lengthiest star, Chet Holmgren, for that.
The 7-foot-1 big man had struggled to see his shots drop all night. But as the Thunder held onto a one-point lead with 40.6 seconds left in the game, he saw the ball coming his way while he stood in the corner. And his eyes immediately locked onto the rim.
Not even Gobert, who sprinted over to play some last-second defense, could disrupt Holmgren’s rhythm. He caught the pass and released a high-arcing shot that splashed through the rim, effectively ending Minnesota’s hopes of a comeback.
Holmgren had gone 3 for 11 from the field (1 for 3 from deep) before that big-time bucket. And he looked visibly relieved once he saw it drop, pumping his fist slowly as the crowd erupted.
“Never be afraid of failure,” Holmgren said of his mindset. “If you miss a shot, you miss a shot. But you’re not gonna never shoot a shot again in your career. You’re gonna have to shoot a shot again at some point, so why not now? If I feel like I have an opportunity to shoot a good shot or try to create something, I’m going to do that.”
Holmgren finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander also racked up 40 points despite initially being listed as questionable due to an illness.
OKC will now finish NBA Cup group play with a home game against Phoenix at 8:30 p.m. Friday. It’ll be a battle between two 3-0 squads with a guaranteed spot in the knockout round on the line.
That knockout round will consist of the top team from each of the six groups and one wild card team from each conference. And even if the Thunder loses on Friday, there’s a good chance it’ll secure the West’s wild card spot since point differential in group play is the first tie-breaker. It’s currently plus-71.
But OKC isn’t thinking about a wild card spot. It’s thinking about winning, and it’s prepared for what should be another electric NBA Cup atmosphere on Friday with that briefcase up for grabs.
“They should do that for every game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Put a little money behind it.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.