Wolves land their best shot against the Thunder: The Day After Report
Minnesota beat the Thunder in ugly-but-thrilling fashion on national TV, handing Oklahoma City a narrow road loss in an environment that felt ready to explode from the opening tip.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went toe-to-toe* with Anthony Edwards, who returned from a brief absence looking every bit like the closer he’s known to be. OKC was challenged by the slugfest, but were up 107–104 with just over a minute left. But Edwards delivered the game’s defining sequence, fueling Minny's 8-0 run to finish the game. SGA and OKC came up one or two plays short.
Final: Wolves (19-10) def. Thunder (25-3), 112-107
- Anthony Edwards was relatively contained early, then decided the last minute: a step-back three for the lead with 38.5 seconds left, followed by a block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup attempt to stay ahead for good.
- Cason Wallace guarded Edwards' shot about as well as he could've. Just a great, tough shot from the Wolves star.
- Shai was Shai: 35 points, 7 assists, and 4 stocks in a five-point loss, matching shot-for-shot late until Edwards got the last word. He made multiple tough finishes through a crowd of Wolves near the rim throughout the game, just like the one he couldn't convert to save the game.
- Chris Finch arrived ready to explode, getting ejected midway through the first quarter and joining the rest of us watching from home.
- Finch’s early outburst set the tone for the rest of the game: lots of arms out, lots of disbelief, lots of incredulity at a Thunder defense that refuses to make things comfortable. Minnesota took 47 free throws to OKC's 30, outraged the disparity wasn't greater.
- There's a runaway conspiracy about Shai and the Thunder's whistle online. We reserve the right to publish rational content about the matter, but the attempts from reasonable analysts and fans to debunct the braindead OKC/NBA Collusion truthers are going to keep falling on deaf ears.
- Minnesota didn’t win the turnover battle (13 TOs to OKC’s 11), but pairing that ball security with 18 offensive rebounds gave them enough possessions and shot attempts to hang with OKC’s stifling defense.
- It was a brutal shooting night for the Thunder: 11-of-39 from three, and just 37% overall.
- This was a “can they really do it?” game for me. There's no shame in taking Ant and the Wolves' best shot in an ordinary, championship-level regular season. But you need to pull out almost every miracle, catch some breaks, and survive the toughest matchups to get to 74 wins. Their third loss pulls them down even with the Warriors 73-win pace, but the odds are now so slim that they'll need another prolonged streak to keep any hope for the record alive.
- I still think they can do it.
- The Thunder had to face Ant on the Prince City Edition court on the day of Kevin Garnett's reunion with the Wolves franchise. That's a lot of vibes to contend with.
- Finch and Rudy Gobert zap Minny of most of its cool, though.
- Chet Holmgren has faded in and out of the offensive picture a bit lately, and entered the fourth quarter with just 8 points and 2 rebounds. But after a brutal fall, Chet asserted himself more. He sold out on both ends, grabbing 3 boards, swiping 2 blocks and getting to the line 4 times. Holmgren is one of the tougher competitors in the game, but the team has an uphill battle on the boards when he's the biggest presence in the paint.
- Ajay Mitchell has been playing well through the grief of losing his father. 14 points and more solid defense in this one.
One Key Takeaway: The “Best Shot” Era Has Arrived
OKC hasn't been exposed in recent losses, but they've been tested. Up three with a minute to go, on the road, against a hyped crowd and a superstar who closed like one, is what life looks like once you’re the team everyone wants to knock down. The rest of the league is an angry mob, ready to muck things up to have a shot against the champs.
