The Timberwolves gave the defending champions everything they could handle in the second half on Wednesday night. But in the end, it wasn’t quite enough. For a third consecutive game, Minnesota’s clutch-time execution left plenty to be desired in a 113-105 loss in Oklahoma City.
The Wolves (10-8) played excellent basketball for most of the third and fourth quarters against a juggernaut Thunder team (18-1) that came into the game having won nine straight by an average of 22 points. With a little over three minutes on the clock, the score was knotted at 101. But from there, some of the same issues that cost the Wolves in their collapses in Phoenix and Sacramento over their last two outings popped up.
A Donte DiVincenzo turnover led to a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bucket to give the Thunder the lead. The Wolves’ next possession resulted in a Jaden McDaniels turnover. It was a still a two-point game a little while later when Rudy Gobert drew a foul…only to miss both free throws. Anthony Edwards hit a big three to cut it to 105-104 with a minute left, but Chet Holmgren was left wide open and answered with a big three on the other end. DiVincenzo then came down and was smothered on a layup attempt.
The cherry on top of the loss was a Julius Randle five-second violation with the Wolves looking to inbound the ball down five points with 27 seconds left. That sealed the deal.
The Wolves had 14 turnovers in the game, to 7 for Oklahoma City. The bigger issue is all the points Minnesota left at the free-throw line. They made just 22 of 37 attempts (59 percent), which made a massive difference in the game. OKC was 30 for 38 at the line in an eight-point win.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points for the Thunder, hitting 15 of his 17 free-throw attempts. OKC, who continue to be without Jalen Williams, got 15 points from Isaiah Hartenstein and 13 off the bench from Ajay Mitchell.
Edwards scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half for the Timberwolves, including all five of his three-pointers. Terrence Shannon Jr. provided a big spark with 18 points off the bench. It was a tough night for Julius Randle, who had 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting.
The loss eliminates the Wolves from NBA Cup action. They would’ve advanced to the quarterfinals with a win either tonight or last Friday in Phoenix.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Game rewind
The Wolves were fortunate to still be relatively close at halftime after two very sloppy quarters of basketball against the NBA’s best defense. They managed just 17 points in the first quarter on 26 percent shooting from the floor and 4-of-10 shooting at the free-throw line. Jaden McDaniels was the only Minnesota player who could get anything going on offense in the first.
The second quarter wasn’t that much better. Rob Dillingham and Shannon provided a bit of a spark with some buckets, but the Wolves only managed 22 points in the second and trailed 49-39 at the break. They had shooting splits of 32 percent from the field, 29 percent from deep, and 56 percent from the line.
Fortunately, the lid came off the basket in the second half. Edwards was patient against double teams and heavy ball pressure early on, but he started to find scoring openings in the third quarter. The Wolves tied the game up, then responded again after the Thunder pushed their lead back to double digits. Minnesota racked up 32 points in the third and cut its halftime deficit in half.
In the fourth quarter, the game became quite the thriller. The Wolves started raining in threes, but the Thunder always had an answer. And when it came down to the final three minutes, the defending champs made significantly more plays than the Wolves, who still have not won a game this season against a team with a winning record.
More Timberwolves coverage