Thunder Defeat Timberwolves 128-126, lead Western Finals 3-1

Photos: Reuters

Oklahoma City Thunder Bounce Back Strong in Game 4 to Take 3-1 Lead Over Timberwolves

On May 27, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault shared his thoughts after a tough win in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals. The Thunder had just beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 in a close and exciting game in Minneapolis. This win gave Oklahoma City a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, bringing them closer than ever to the NBA Finals.

Just two nights before, the Thunder had suffered a heavy loss on the road, losing by 42 points to the Timberwolves. But on Monday night, the team showed great determination and focus to turn things around. Despite that big defeat, the Thunder did not lose hope. They came out ready to play a different game, and that’s exactly what they did.

When asked what he learned from the game, Coach Daigneault gave a confident but simple answer: “I learned nothing.” He explained, “This team is easy to bet on. We had a very normal couple of days leading into it and a normal shootaround today. There was an internal feeling that we would come out and play a very different game, and we did.

Daigneault said the team’s resilience and perseverance were already clear, so the game didn’t teach him anything new in that regard. However, he added that the Thunder are still growing as a team. “These are all new experiences for us,” he said. “Now it’s the first time we’ve been up 3-1 this late in the season, and we have to handle that correctly.”

The game was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored an impressive 40 points. He also contributed nine rebounds and 10 assists, nearly achieving a triple-double. Gilgeous-Alexander played a key role in the final moments of the game, sinking 5 of 6 free throws in the last 15 seconds to help seal the victory.

Jalen Williams also had a strong performance, scoring 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting. Young star Chet Holmgren added 21 points, shooting well from the field with 9-for-14 accuracy.

Gilgeous-Alexander spoke after the game about the team’s mindset. “We did a good job of staying in the moment tonight,” he said. “We obviously had a bad taste in our mouth from the last game, and we just wanted to control the things we could control tonight. Staying in the moment was the best way to do that.”
He admitted that the game was not perfect, but the team gave themselves a chance to win, and that’s what mattered most. “We could have been better tonight for sure. Tonight wasn’t perfect, but we got a W,” he said.

On the Minnesota Timberwolves’ side, Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the scoring with 23 points off the bench. Jaden McDaniels contributed 22 points, while Donte DiVincenzo scored 21 points off the bench.

Alexander-Walker said that the Timberwolves would not waste time feeling sorry for themselves. Instead, they quickly moved their focus to Game 5. “Everything is out there,” he said. “There are no secrets. They know how to beat us. We know how to beat them. It’s just about who wants it more and who executes better.”
He added that the Timberwolves showed some strong moments during the game, but consistency will be key moving forward.

The final minutes of the game were tense and full of action. The Thunder worked hard to hold off the Timberwolves’ comeback efforts. One of the highlights came when Gilgeous-Alexander showed his incredible athleticism. Falling down on the court, he managed to slip a pass between the legs of Timberwolves player Jaden McDaniels to Jalen Williams, who made a crucial three-pointer from the left wing. This shot helped the Thunder push their lead to 116-109 with 3:34 left.

Williams hit another three-pointer late in the game, giving the Thunder a 123-116 lead with just over a minute remaining. The Timberwolves did not give up, though. McDaniels scored a driving layup and followed with a three-pointer with 23 seconds left, cutting the Thunder’s lead to 123-121.

In the final seconds, the teams exchanged free throws. The Thunder were up 128-125 when Anthony Edwards stepped to the line with 3.5 seconds left. Edwards made the first free throw and missed the second intentionally to try and get the rebound. Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the rebound and passed the ball out of bounds to stop the clock with 0.3 seconds left.

Jalen Williams then intercepted Minnesota’s final inbound pass, securing the win for the Thunder.

Looking back at the game flow, the Thunder led 90-85 at the end of the third quarter. The Timberwolves had cut the deficit to one point during an 8-0 run in the third, thanks in part to DiVincenzo’s three-pointer from the corner.

The Thunder quickly responded with a jump shot by Gilgeous-Alexander to regain a 79-76 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
At halftime, Minnesota trailed 65-57. Anthony Edwards struggled early, scoring only four points in the first half and shooting poorly from three-point range, making just one of seven attempts.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said Edwards showed more aggression in the second half. “He got downhill and made the right plays,” Finch said. “We tried to get him more involved off the ball and stretch the floor for him.”

Despite the strong second half, Edwards and the Timberwolves could not close the gap.

With this victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder moved to the brink of making their first NBA Finals appearance in many years. The series now shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday night. The Thunder will look to finish the job at home, while the Timberwolves will try to stay alive and push the series back to Minnesota.