Game Preview #59 – Timberwolves at Thunder

After dropping the first game of their back-to-back with OKC, the Wolves must head on the road to take care of business against the league-leading Thunder. Can the Wolves learn from last night’s mistakes and notch a critical win?

Minnesota Timberwolves at. Oklahoma City Thunder
Date: February 24th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Paycom Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio

Timberwolves vs. Thunder: A Must-Win Moment in OKC

What a game. And what a brutal, frustrating, “if only” kind of loss.

The Minnesota Timberwolves gave everything they had against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, battling back from an early 19-point deficit, even taking the lead in the fourth quarter. But then, as has happened too many times this season, the offense stalled, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over, and OKC walked away with the win.

Now, the Wolves have no time to dwell on it—they’re already on a plane to Oklahoma City for the second half of this home-and-home, needing to somehow dig deep and flip the script on the road.

If this sounds like a brutal turnaround, that’s because it is. OKC is scorching hot at home, the Wolves are banged up and exhausted, and unless they find another level, this could turn into a three-game losing streak before they even land in Los Angeles later this week.

But here’s the thing: They can beat this team.

They already have, and for large stretches of Sunday night’s game, they looked like they could do it again.

The question is: Can they put together a full four quarters and actually finish the job?

Sunday Night’s Takeaways

This one hurt. There were moments where it felt like the Wolves had finally figured OKC out, moments where they looked like the better team. But those moments weren’t enough.

• Jaylen Clark was an absolute revelation—pestering SGA, flying around defensively, making every hustle play imaginable.
• Jaden McDaniels was aggressive offensively—attacking mismatches, finishing around the rim, looking like a real difference-maker.
• Naz Reid played like a man possessed—knocking down shots, battling in the paint, making big plays in key moments.

But then, disaster struck.

• Clark took a nasty fall, leaving the game with a neck injury. Without him, SGA had room to operate, and OKC took full advantage.
• The Wolves couldn’t buy a bucket in crunch time, missing open shots and falling into their usual fourth-quarter scoring drought.
• OKC couldn’t miss from three. Seriously, at one point it felt like Aaron Wiggins was Ray Allen and Chet Holmgren was Steph Curry.

The Wolves had a lead in the fourth, but when it mattered most, OKC closed, and Minnesota didn’t.

Same old story.

What Needs to Change in Game 2?

1. Can Jaylen Clark Play?

Clark was the key to slowing down SGA. When he was in the game, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to find easy looks. When Clark left? SGA got wherever he wanted.

If Clark can’t go tonight, the Wolves are going to have to find other ways to disrupt OKC’s offense. That means McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Edwards will have to step up defensively.

If Clark can play, even in limited minutes, that’s a massive boost.

2. No More Slow Starts

The Wolves are getting way too comfortable digging themselves into holes, case in point their 19 point deficit in the first half on Sunday. This simply isn’t sustainable against a team like OKC.

They need to punch first—if they let OKC jump out to another early lead, this one could get ugly fast.

3. Anthony Edwards Needs to Take Over

Edwards had 31 points on Sunday, but he wasn’t as aggressive in the second half and settled for some tough shots.

Tonight, he needs to take control.

SGA has now won two of the three head-to-head matchups this season. If Edwards wants to prove he belongs in that conversation, this is the game to do it.

He needs to attack downhill, force OKC’s defense to collapse, and create open looks for his teammates. And maybe—just maybe—the refs will start giving him some damn calls.

4. The Wolves Need to Close

Setting aside their losses to the league-leading Cavs, you have to go back to January 4th against Detroit to find a game where the Wolves lost and it wasn’t close in the final five minutes.

• They lost to Memphis by two points, twice
• A one-point loss to Golden State
• Back-to-back two point losses to the Wizards and Kings
• A two point loss to the Bucks
• Two games that were close against Houston and OKC that slipped away at the end

That’s EIGHT games that the Wolves had a legitimate chance to win and they came up short in all of them. They fall into bad habits in crunch time—stagnant offense, hero-ball shots, and questionable decision-making.

That can’t happen tonight.

They need ball movement. They need patience. They need someone other than Edwards to step up.

If they fall apart in the fourth quarter again, they’re staring at an 0-3 start in this brutal four-game stretch.

Final Thoughts: A Must-Win Mentality

We all knew this four-game stretch was going to be brutal.

The Wolves have already lost two in a row. If they lose tonight, they have to turn around and face a streaking Lakers team in L.A.

Suddenly, this could spiral into a four-game losing streak, and then we’re officially back in “uh-oh” territory.

But win tonight?

• You prove you can beat the best team in the West—again.
• You stop the bleeding before it gets worse.
• You keep pace in the standings and give yourself a chance to split this brutal road trip.

It’s all right there for the taking.

They’ve already gone toe-to-toe with OKC and have proven they can hang with them.

Now it’s time to go on the road and finish the job.