The Minnesota Timberwolves entered their game on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder looking to get something that has been foreign to them recently, a win. The Thunder came into the game after a win on Tuesday night over the New York Knicks.
Minnesota Takes Marginal Lead to Halftime
In the first quarter, Minnesota fell behind in the opening minutes but slowly fought back, and took the lead with 6:55 left in the half after Andrew Wiggins made a layup. The two teams then battled back and forth for the rest of the quarter, with neither team being able to hold the lead for very long. The teams were tied with just seconds left in the quarter, and the Thunder had a chance to take the lead but Anthony Morrow missed a jump shot at the buzzer, leaving the teams in a 28-28 tie entering the second quarter.
The second quarter was much of the same early, as the teams exchanged leads for the first few minutes before Minnesota pulled away, eventually taking an eight point lead with 4:15 left in the quarter. The Thunder rallied, and took a lead of their own with 1:23 left when Russell Westbrook made a three point shot to give them a two point lead. From there, Minnesota got a Zach LaVine layup to tie the game, followed by two free throws from Nemanja Bjelica to give Minnesota a 64-62 point lead at halftime. LaVine led Minnesota in the first half with 14 points, while Enes Kanter led the Thunder with 11 points.
The third quarter began just like the first half, with neither team being able to hold a lead, but then Minnesota got the lead thanks to a Gorgui Dieng basket with 3:55 left in the quarter, which gave them a lead that they did not relinquish for the rest of the quarter. The Thunder had a chance to tie the game with seconds left, but Kevin Durant was unable to make a three point shot at the buzzer, and Minnesota entered the fourth quarter with a three point lead.
Wolves Fall Short Despite Strong Performance From LaVine
The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair, with Minnesota holding the lead at the start, but the Thunder took the lead when Kanter made a pair of free throws with 6:59 left in the quarter. The Timberwolves, despite not being able to take the lead, were able to keep the lead in single digits, and even got it to within two points when Zach LaVine made a jump shot to make it a one possession game. The Thunder responded when Durant made a three to push it back to a five point lead, then after LaVine made a shot to make it a three point lead, Durant knocked down a jumper to make it a five point lead with 1:26 remaining.
Steven Adams then slammed one home to make it a seven point game with just over a minute left. LaVine then responded with another made shot to make it a five point game. The teams would exchange missed shots before LaVine fouled Westbrook with 20 seconds left. Westbrook made both ensuing free throws, which put the game out of reach, giving the Thunder a 126-123 win over Minnesota, despite a good effort from Minnesota.
Top Performers
Zach LaVine came off the bench and led all scorers with 35 points on 14-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc. Andrew Wiggins finished with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Gorgui Dieng added 21 points and nine rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double of 19 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 27 points and nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook had a near triple-double with 24 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Enes Kanter came off the bench with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Up Next
The Timberwolves now will travel to the West Coast for a four-game road trip, while Oklahoma City returns to home for a three-game homestand that will see Houston, Washington and Orlando.