The Minnesota Timberwolves stomped all over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 143-101, to get back into the Western Conference Finals.
Anthony Edwards came out like a man on a mission to finish with 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He shot 12-of-17 from the field including 5-of-8 from three-point range. Julius Randle bounced back in a big way after just six points in Game 2. He had 24 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Looking to change things up, Wolves head coach introduced Terrence Shannon Jr. to the playing rotation. It was a much needed spark for the bench as he led Minnesota’s reserves in scoring with 15. As a whole, the Wolves bench scored 66 points to provide the support that was missing in the first two games.
Oklahoma City was never in this game, getting outscored 34-14 in the first quarter and looking completely befuddled by the Minnesota defense. The Wolves were extremely physical and sharp right from the tip and the Thunder never came close to recovering.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to just 14 points on 13 field goal attempts along with four turnovers. Jalen Williams had 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
“Honestly, it just shows us, more than anything, of what we’re capable of doing,” veteran Wolves guard Mike Conley said. “So, now we’ve set a standard for ourselves, like, why aren’t we playing with this type of effort every night? So, if we don’t do it the next game, that’s on us. It has nothing to do with them.”
Minnesota now trails the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Thunder Receive Wake Up Call
After a completely dominant first two games, it was hard to see how the Wolves could get back in the series. The Thunder were getting whatever they wanted offensively while completely dictating proceedings defensively.
It turns out, some home cooking went a long way towards changing the dynamic of this series. Role players traditionally perform better at home and that was certainly the case in Game 3. The tone, though, was set early by the starters.
“They kept their foot on the gas tonight, and we were just never able to give ourselves any traction in game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought their defensive pressure and physicality definitely stood out early. They were definitely throwing the first punch in the game.”
Oklahoma City has shown a propensity to learn pretty quickly in these playoffs, particularly against the Denver Nuggets. Despite 68 regular season wins, this is still a young postseason team. They may have taken their foot off the gas just a little bit and the Wolves were ready to pounce.
Game 4 of this series will be Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST.
