The lug nuts have been tightened for a Timberwolves team whose wheels appeared to be on the edge of falling off a week ago.
Minnesota has now won three straight after blitzing the banged up Thunder 123-111 on Thursday at Target Center.
The Wolves raced out to a 14-point lead in the opening stanza and never looked back on a night where it led by as many as 22 points.
Takeaways from Minnesota’s victory:
Wolves bring the heat
Minnesota came out of the gates with an energy on the glass and, most notably, on the defensive end that it often reserves for bigger games and the postseason, and it showed.
The Wolves were harassing, forcing 15 Thunder turnovers that they turned into 30 points going the other way, while logging 28 second-chance points.
Seven players finished with at least four rebounds in the win, and the eighth rotational member, Jaylen Clark, had three.
It was an impressive effort on Minnesota’s fourth game in a five-day span.
Reid rolls
Naz Reid continues to shine offensively for Minnesota. He buried four of the Timberwolves’ 22 made triples Thursday, and is shooting 45% from distance over his last four games.
He finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in the win and continues to shine as one of Minnesota’s top offensive options while the Wolves’ thrive during his on-court minutes.
SGA, and not much else
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was again excellent for the Thunder, finishing with 30 points, eight assists and six boards. But he received little help from his teammates.
The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso in Minneapolis, and have now lost three of four games.
But thanks to their dominant start to the season, Oklahoma City still has a healthy amount of breathing room for the No. 1 seed in the West.
Leave a Reply