Minnesota didn’t give away Game 4 on Monday night at Target Center.
The Wolves had massive contributions from their bench and fought to the bitter end against the conference’s top seed.
But Oklahoma City was simply better. Any questions about the young Thunder’s maturity and readiness were answered emphatically in Minneapolis, as Oklahoma City held off the Wolves, 128-126, to gain a 3-1 series advantage.
Game 5 is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Oklahoma.
Minnesota wasn’t perfect. It turned the ball over 23 times, a cardinal sin against the Thunder, who parlayed the giveaways into 22 points. But Minnesota actually scored more points off turnovers than Oklahoma City. Each team allowed the other to feast on the offensive glass.
Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle were largely no-shows.
But the Wolves did many things necessary to win. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels all eclipsed the 20-point threshold. Minnesota buried 18 triples on 44% shooting.
“Bench was really, really good,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “They were finding shots for each other, they shot the ball extremely well from the 3-point line. We did a good job of finding those things.”
Alexander-Walker was particularly special, going 5 for 8 from distance while tallying six assists and taking on difficult defensive assignments. The reserve was the best thing the Wolves had to combat his cousin on Monday.
“He had a great night,” Finch said. “He shot the ball well, he got to the hoop, he made the right play. He battled his tail off defensively. He was outstanding. He has really been playing well of late.”
But it wasn’t enough to beat Oklahoma City. Not with the Thunder’s big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren defended the rim and hit some big-time, catch-and-shoot triples. And, in a throwback to the first two games of the series, Minnesota could do little to deter Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams from getting to their spots.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Williams had 34 points and Holmgren had 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Edwards and Randle combined for 6-for-15 shooting. Edwards took just two first-half shots.
“I thought the second half was more aggressive,” Finch said. “First half, he lagged behind a little bit too much.”
That was the case for the entire team. After coming out with their hair on fire on Saturday in a dominant Game 3 win, the Wolves eased their way into the game on Monday. They turned the ball over seven times in the opening stanza.
“A lot of those were trying to play into traffic,” Finch said. “Plays that draw attention and a crowd and not really going anywhere.”
And their defense wasn’t physical enough to balance out the miscues.
That has proven to be a losing combination for the Wolves, who must now win three straight games against a 68-win regular season team in order to advance.
The task is tall, though not impossible.
“But this isn’t the formula to get it done,” Finch said, “and I think that’s the most important thing to take away tonight.”
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