A three-pointer by Anthony Edwards with 37.8 seconds left and a block and steal by the shooting guard from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the next two plays sealed the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 112-107 victory over the nearly unbeatable Oklahoma City Thunder.
The reigning champions, who were coming off a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, suffered their third loss of the season, and their second in the last three games, after they lost in the NBA Cup semifinals to the San Antonio Spurs.
Edwards leads a brilliant closing
With his sublime finish on offense and defense, Edwards was ecstatic at the end of the game, in which he scored 26 points and finished with 12 rebounds.
Rebounding was precisely one of the Thunder’s weak points and allowed the home team to score 29 second-chance points.
Rudy Gobert grabbed 14 rebounds (6 offensive) while Julius Randle added 8 total rebounds, five of them offensive.
Free throws, however, nearly cost the Minnesota Timberwolves dearly, as they made just 33 of 47 (70.2%) compared to the Thunder’s 28 of 30 (93.3%).
Scoring was very spread out for the Timberwolves, with as many as six players finishing in double figures.
In addition to Edwards’ 26 points, Randle scored 19, Donte DiVincenzo and Naiz Reid 15, and Jaden McDaniels and Bones Hyland 13.
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 35, but Thunder deflate
Despite his erratic finish, Gilgeous-Alexander was the leading scorer for the visitors with 35 points and 12-of-26 shooting.
Chet Holmgren, who had a poor performance, scored 14 points and was held to just 5 rebounds.
The Thunder got off to a fantastic start, closing the first quarter with a 50% shooting percentage that put them ahead 33-23.
However, these percentages decreased in the second and third periods, reaching the final period just two points ahead (83-85).
Minnesota’s defensive intensity continued in the fourth, and it took Oklahoma more than four minutes to get a basket in play, allowing the Timberwolves to take a 95-89 lead.
But a 9-3 run for the Thunder brought the game back to even with 2:12 remaining.
A three-pointer, a block and a steal to seal the game
After an exchange of baskets and free throws that put the reigning champions up by two with 53 seconds left, Edwards’ three-pointer came.
After a step back and with his defender in front of him, to make it 108-107.
Then came a block on Gilgeous-Alexander when he finished a penetration surrounded by four Minnesota Timberwolves players.
In the last second he would prevent last season’s MVP from tying the game with a three-pointer when he stole the ball off the dribble.
The Timberwolves (18-10) avenged their loss in the conference finals of the last playoffs, where they fell 4-1 to the Thunder.
They are currently sixth in the West.
The Thunder (25-3) continue to lead the West with a four-game lead over the Denver Nuggets.
With information from EFE
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com
