The Minnesota Timberwolves had won six of their last 1o games before dropping the last two. On February 10, the Timberwolves lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-107 despite Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards scoring 44 points. Recently, the Timberwolves lost a close game to the Milwaukee Bucks 103-101. The Bucks were without their star Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a left calf strain, and Point Guard Damian Lillard, who had a hamstring issue. Edwards shot 10-of-33 from the field and scored 28 points.
On Thursday night, the Timberwolves hosted the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. Could the Wolves break their current losing streak? The Minnesota Timberwolves are ranked seventh in the Western Conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, guard for the Thunder, leads the league in scoring, averaging 32.6 points a game on 52.7% shooting.
The Thunder have won the last eight of ten games. The last time the Thunder and Timberwolves played was on December 31. The Thunder beat the Timberwolves 113-105, and Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 40 on Minnesota that night. Could the Timberwolves contain the Thunders star guard?
Timberwolves Corner Thunder Quick
The Minnesota Timberwolves went head-to-head with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter. The Timberwolves shot 85% from the field first, and Minnesota shot 3-of-8 from the three-point line. Edwards finished the quarter with 10 points shooting 50% from the field. After the first quarter, Minnesota led 37-24 and held Alexander to just two points.
In the first two minutes of the second quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out to a 43-29 lead over the Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder never led in the first half but would finish the second quarter outscoring the Timberwolves 32-27. The league’s leading scorer, Gilgeous-Alexander, would go 0-of-7 from the field and finished the first half with nine points. Center Naz Reid for Minnesota scored 10 points in the second quarter. The Timberwolves led the Thunder 64-56 at halftime.
Timberwolves Continue Biting
In the second half, the game was tied with 8:44 left in the third quarter. The Timberwolves would pin their ears back and fight back. Center Naz Reid and Power Forward Jaden McDaniels combined for 14 points. McDaniels finished with 21 points. Minnesota Shooting Guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker would make three shots from the three-point range. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 4-of-6 from the field and finished the third quarter with 13 points. The Minnesota Timberwolves led the Thunder by 10 at the end of the third.
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Thunder 116-101, and Edwards finished the game with 23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. The Timberwolves’ high-scoring player of the game was Reid, who scored 27 points shooting 11-of-18 from the field, with 14 rebounds and seven assists. It was a big game for Reid to step up and show out. Both teams shot 42% from the field. SGA finished the game with 24 points, shooting 6-of-21 from the field with eight rebounds and nine assists.
Final Thoughts
Did anyone see this coming? Probably not. The Minnesota Timberwolves were without three of their key players: Center Rudy Gobert with a back issue, Forward Julius Randle with a groin issue, and Point Guard Mike Conley with a finger issue. This was a huge win for the Timberwolves. Now, the question is, can they build off this win going into the All-Star break? The Timberwolves are ranked third in the Northwestern division, with the Thunder at the top.
