After two double-digit losses to start out the Western Convention finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves confirmed they’ve what it takes to not simply problem however utterly shut down Oklahoma Metropolis, beating the Thunder 143-101 Saturday night time and narrowing the sequence to 2-1.
The Timberwolves took a 34-14 lead within the first quarter and ran away with it from there; by the third quarter, Minnesota had secured a 42-point lead.
How did that occur? Minnesota shot 57.3 p.c from the sphere to Oklahoma Metropolis’s 40.7 p.c. The Timberwolves shot 50 p.c from 3 to the Thunder’s 31.8 p.c. And Anthony Edwards scored 30 factors to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 14 factors, till each groups benched their starters with a watch towards Recreation 4 on Monday.
Thunder should once more crack a code
For as a lot poise and management as Oklahoma Metropolis has proven throughout this postseason — notably in Video games 1 and a couple of towards Minnesota — Recreation 3 was the exact opposite.
The Thunder sleepwalked right into a fiery Goal Middle and aggressive Wolves protection, who used an strategy just like the Nuggets — protecting gamers on the packing containers and elbows and rotating shortly to shore up any holes. Oklahoma Metropolis missed 11 of its first 15 photographs of the sport, turning the ball over 5 instances within the first six minutes. They by no means recovered, trailing by as a lot as 45 factors within the second half and ending the night capturing simply 35-for-86 from the sphere and 14-for-44 from 3.
OKC coach Mark Daigneault, determined to seek out any kind of rhythm, went deep into his bench, having already performed 10 males by the beginning of the second quarter. However the Thunder had been merely unable to create separation for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams, who went a mixed 7 of twenty-two from the sphere. On the different finish, a locked-in Anthony Edwards took management from the opening tip, main the best way with 30 factors in half-hour.
Recreation 3 was all the time going to carry a degree of desperation from a Wolves workforce seeking to keep away from a 3-0 deficit. The Thunder had been unable to include a number of waves of stress from the sport’s onset, and can now look to right issues in Recreation 4.
Oklahoma Metropolis must play at a sooner tempo within the half courtroom. Minnesota’s zone is working time beyond regulation to stress ball handlers and passing lanes, however the Thunder are doing themselves no favors by shifting at half velocity. In Recreation 3, the Wolves appeared snug bringing Rudy Gobert larger as much as meet Oklahoma Metropolis’s guards, which ought to historically be an advantageous alternative. This workforce is not any stranger to the box-and-one zone, the Nuggets used it periodically over the past spherical, and in some unspecified time in the future, the Thunder cracked the code. They’ll have to do it once more — and do a a lot better job containing Edwards — to keep away from a fair sequence. — Kelly Iko, NBA employees author
Minnesota throws a number of defenders at SGA
A change in venue made all of the distinction for the Timberwolves, whose 143-101 Recreation 3 win towards the top-seeded Thunder gave the convention finals a makeover.
Minnesota’s win might be the distinction between overcoming a 2-0 deficit or making an attempt to tug off the postseason not possible: getting back from down 3-0.
The Timberwolves used a red-hot first quarter led by Anthony Edwards (16 factors within the opening body) at hand the Thunder their worst lack of the season after Oklahoma Metropolis opened the sequence with a convincing 2-0 sequence lead.
Edwards’ 30 factors led all scorers as Minnesota additionally relied on Julius Randle (24 factors) and acquired 45 factors from its reserves.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high and season-low 14 factors, snapping a streak of 5 consecutive 30-point playoff video games. (He tied Gus Williams’ 1979 streak for the longest in franchise historical past.) SGA’s 9 missed photographs (4-of-13 capturing) had been greater than double his free-throw makes an attempt (4). He averaged 14.5 free throws in video games 1 and a couple of.
The Timberwolves relied on an array of defenders to offer the newly-crowned MVP hassle, together with Terrence Shannon Jr. The rookie wing contributed 15 factors in 13:12 of enjoying time after totaling six factors in his first six playoff outings (20 minutes).
The Timberwolves’ 143 factors set a workforce single-game playoff report and breathed new life into their hopes for making the primary NBA Finals run in franchise historical past. — James Jackson, NBA employees editor
Wolves make good, delicate changes
We frequently suppose most playoff changes need to be large ones, like switching a defensive matchup, altering the lineup or deploying a brand new pick-and-roll scheme. However as Minnesota proved in Recreation 3, the most effective ones are sometimes extra delicate — and way more particular.
On offense, Anthony Edwards took barely completely different angles coming off his pick-and-rolls. Somewhat than rush into them in a straight line to get downhill, as he did in Recreation 2, Edwards took a step sideways and even backward to make sure he ran his personal man into the display and gave himself an additional cut up second to learn the remainder of the Thunder protection. By beginning large after which shifting to go downhill, Edwards saved Oklahoma Metropolis off steadiness, saved himself on steadiness and created extra room for his now-elite pull-up 3.
“He elevates a lot on his bounce shot however it’s pure.” https://t.co/IBJdgmuwRP pic.twitter.com/Rjzmvc3ry2
— NBA (@NBA) Might 25, 2025
On protection, Minnesota went towards what many pundits publicly advised and gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams extra space on their drives. The Timberwolves had crept far too near the Thunder’s stars within the first two video games, permitting Oklahoma Metropolis to negate Minnesota’s size benefit and — as you’ll have heard — stack up bushels of free throws. In Recreation 3, Jaden McDaniels made it a degree to hold a number of ft again of Gilgeous-Alexander, all whereas remaining on the balls of his ft to soak up SGA’s robust assaults. The Wolves’ bigs — Rudy Gobert specifically — stayed again at first, however then shifted up on the ground as soon as Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams accelerated. This modification prevented Oklahoma Metropolis’s stars from initiating the physique contact they thrived on in video games 1 and a couple of.
Now, the Thunder should work out a option to creep extra into Edwards’ house on protection — and extra into the Wolves defenders’ areas on offense. — Mike Prada, NBA senior editor
(Picture: Brad Rempel / Imagn Photographs)
