They are still in command in this 2025 Western Conference Finals, but there is a level of concern right now for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After dominating the first two games of the series, the OKC Thunder were wrecked in the one-sided Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 143-101.
New NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander admitted that there was simply something wrong about OKC in Game 3 as they endured the worst loss of their historic season.
After taking the wire-to-wire victory, the confidence is back for Minnesota as Anthony Edwards dropped a major statement performance. And after struggling in Game 2, it appears that Julius Randle rediscovered his rhythm to help the T-Wolves claw their way back into the series.
Mark Daigneault addresses potential lineup change vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Despite holding a 2-1 lead, Oklahoma City is still under pressure as the momentum builds for Minnesota heading to Game 4.
Tim Legler argued that the Timberwolves made a necessary adjustment that was not seen in Games 1 and 2 that propelled their emphatic 42-point beatdown.
This might be the time now for the Thunder to do the same, but Mark Daigneault is not convinced about making a huge change particularly to the team’s starting five.
During the team’s practice session this weekend, the OKC mentor said that he is not yet planning to reassess the Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein frontcourt pairing.
“At the end of the day, we keep everything fluid for a reason, so it’s not this seismic event when we change a lineup,” he told reporters.
“At any point in time, we change the starting lineup during the season, we change the starting lineup coming out of halftime, we change the rotation almost nightly, in the regular season and in the playoffs. And we try to normalize that for situations where we think we can be opportunistic.
“If we think there’s an opportunity in any part of the rotation to give ourselves a better chance to win a playoff game, we’re going to do it. So, I would just say that’s in the water at this point. It’s nothing new, I don’t think, for our guys, especially.”
No reasons yet for OKC to make key lineup change
After placing the two players at the team’s starting center position in different segments of the season, OKC decided to make the bold move of letting Holmgren and Hartenstein start throughout this postseason.
The Thunder found success in the playoffs by imposing their huge frontcourt towers. They defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round, who had Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey, before beating the Denver Nuggets and three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.
This time around, the Thunder have no significant reasons yet to hit the panic button. They still have control of the series, and Game 3 was the only occurrence that Minnesota won the frontcourt battle behind Randle’s bounce-back play.
The outcome of the upcoming Game 4 will determine if Daigneault needs to make necessary tweaks or let the Holmgren-Hartenstein combo continue for OKC against Minnesota.
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