Jan. 30, 2026, 3:00 p.m. CT
Staying in front of Chet Holmgren, Anthony Edwards swiped the ball away from his possession for another turnover. He ran down the court and was fed the ball at the left corner spot. Knocking down another outside jumper, the defense-to-offense sequence to end the third quarter summed up their statement game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were straight-up bullied in a 123-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Trailing for the entire night, they looked as flat as day-old soda. The final score didn’t tell the full story in a game they were behind by as many as 22 points.
Edwards set the tone from the jump. Even though it was Minnesota’s fourth game in five nights, they were the more physical team with an endless supply of energy. OKC, on the other hand, looked completely lifeless and failed to live up to the intensity.
Edwards finished with 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. He shot 4-of-10 from 3. The Timberwolves join the San Antonio Spurs as the only other team to beat the Thunder multiple times this season, who look more vulnerable with each passing game.
As inconsistent as the Timberwolves can be, you can always bank on them to show out in their primetime matchups against the Thunder. Especially after OKC gentleman swept Minnesota last year in the Western Conference Finals. Viewing Gilgeous-Alexander, Edwards has used his stacked accolades as bulletin board material.
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“It’s super personal for me because they put us out last year and they got the reigning MVP,” Edwards said. “It’s super personal. I think a win like this shows, like D-Wade was saying, if we bring our defensive intensity, we’re going to be alright.”
You can always bank on the Thunder and Timberwolves being must-watch TV — at least that’s the case in the regular season. Gilgeous-Alexander might be a couple of tiers ahead of Edwards, but the latter has all the makings to be a perennial NBA superstar for the foreseeable future.
Getting everybody’s best shot comes with the territory of being the reigning NBA champion. Minnesota has had two straight Western Conference Finals trips but has yet to get over that hill. If it wants to change that, it likely needs to overcome the odds and upset OKC in a playoff series.