Timberwolves 131, Thunder 128: WAY TO F****** HOOP Y’ALL

The Minnesota Timberwolves came storming back from down 25 to tie the largest comeback in team history.

Are we really doing this again? Fresh off of a late national TV game that finished after 11 pm last night these two teams face off again. 20 hours later. In a game that was sure to have both teams running on fumes, it did not fail to disappoint. The Minnesota Timberwolves were down 25 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder and looked out of it for much of the game. But some unlikely heroes stepped up big time to orchestrate the largest comeback in team history.

One of the craziest regular season games in Timberwolves history led to a gutsy, grinding team win coming on the heels of one of the worst back-to-backs a team can face. That did not matter for the Wolves though, as they pulled off a ridiculous win in wild fashion.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Both teams took the first few minutes to shake off their weary legs as they worked themselves into rhythm during the game. After a solid start for Minnesota, OKC went on a 9-2 run early on to take a small lead halfway through the first. The fatigue manifested itself in a cold shooting start for the Timberwolves, but they endured the Thunder run and kept it close.

Jaden McDaniels was great in the first, going 4/5 from the floor for nine points and adding four rebounds. Watching him get to his midrange shot and look unbothered as it drops through the bottom of the net is a pretty sight. SGA carried the load for OKC starting the game with 11 points as the Thunder took a 32-28 lead after the first.

The offensive power outages continued throughout the second quarter for the Timberwolves as they end shooting an abysmal 4/18 from beyond the arc. The Thunder continued their great process to have their lead become larger and larger as the Wolves kept coming up empty. With a dominant second including a 12-4 run in the final 2:25, aided by Minnesota’s self-inflicted mistakes and turnovers, OKC grew their lead to 19 at the half. SGA had 20 points while Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards combined to shoot 5/18 in the first half.

While the Wolves offense picked up during the third quarter as they scored 35 points, the Thunder would not stop as they matched the output with 38 of their own. Every time Minnesota got a bucket it seemed like OKC responded. Rob Dillingham got going with a small six-point spurt which was great to see him gain some confidence but the Wolves could not cut into the Thunder lead. To add insult to injury, Naz Reid went down with an apparent leg injury at the very end of the quarter – he would later return.

The Timberwolves trailed by 22 points at the beginning of the 4th quarter. It was 102-80 and the light was dimming on any chance of a win. I had this recap all but completed. But the Minnesota Timberwolves had other plans.

They came storming back in one of the wildest regular season comebacks in Timberwolves history. The Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA, they own the 2nd best record and had only lost three games at home. They lead by 25 at one point in the third quarter, by 22 in the 4th, and by 16 with 3:55 left.

What ensued was an insane heater from the lineup that was put in meant to develop the young guys. Two rookies, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker dug in and would not stop. In a total team effort, they went on a 16-0 run that ended with a Slim And-1 with 11.2 seconds left. Anthony Edwards was on the bench for the entire time. The Wolves got a stop before forcing overtime after a missed Nickeil runner at the buzzer.

Chris Finch decided to go with what got him there and kept that same lineup out there for the start of the extra period. Despite the Thunder striking first, the Wolves dug in again. The game stayed neck and neck throughout OT and finally, Anthony Edwards came in to close it down. He did exactly that.

As Naz gutted his way to the line in back-to-back possessions for free throws and drilled all four, the Thunder had the ball down one with 22.1 seconds on the clock. SGA beat the double team and got all the way to the rim, only to be met by Anthony Edwards at the summit who tossed his shot aside.

After NAW was fouled and made both free throws to grow the lead to three, SGA had a shot at the buzzer to tie but instead of trying to make the shot he went for drawing the foul. In a poetic ending, the baiting didn’t pay off and the Wolves get the improbable victory.

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Key Takeaways

Digging Deep

No one would have blamed the Timberwolves had they dropped this game without three of their starters, on the 2nd night of one of the most brutal back-to-backs an NBA team can have while the Thunder shot the lights out. Despite these symptoms showing themselves during the game, they wouldn’t let it go. As the outcome looked its bleakest they dug their heels in and kept picking up SGA at half-court.

This is a defining win in a season that has been mostly up and down but now you can look at all the positives: You snuck a grinding win out from the best team in the conference as you are about to get back to full strength for the first time in months. The warmth that will come with this victory is similar to Minnesota’s weather today which reached over 50 degrees. It’s time to come out of hibernation.

Improbable Lineup

The game looked all but over for much of the second half. The focus turned to getting Rob Dillingham back on track while watching TJ Shannon bully his way to the rim for multiple buckets. That would have sufficed as the sliver of positivity to take from this game. But the lineup of Dillingham-NAW-Shannon Jr.-McDaniels-Reid decided that wasn’t enough for them.

They created the 16-0 run out of thin air and brought life back into the Timberwolves. Rob had some great moments and ended with 12 points and 5 dimes, Shannon with 17 points and 10 boards while going 7/10 from the field, NAW with 21 and some clutch buckets down the stretch, Naz getting to the basket and making his free throws in overtime and Jaden barreling his way to the basket and finishing through contact to tie the game at the end of regulation. He also shot 9/16 good for 27 points and 10 rebounds.

In a win like this, everyone gets love but this lineup brought them all the way back and deserved special recognition.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Probable Hero

Anthony Edwards was put on ice with 3:41 left in the game which seemed to be Minnesota waving the white flag. They mentioned some injury but he watched from the bench for nearly seven minutes before a few empty offensive possessions had Finch calling his number to try to close out the comeback. He didn’t score in the final 1:48 after he re-entered the game, but his presence was felt.

As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket and seemed to have a layup to take the lead Ant came flying in to save the day. He blocked the shot reminiscent of his game-winning block from last year against the Indiana Pacers. After NAW drained his free throws, he also defended without fouling on SGA for the final possession to close out the game. Takeovers come in many ways, even if we are used to seeing it on the offensive end from Ant.

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Up Next

The Timberwolves will travel to the West Coast to take on newly acquired Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday after a much-deserved two days of rest.

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Game Highlights