Thunder reserves ignited a crucial victory, with Joe and McCain draining threes while Holmgren dominated. SGA's late surge secured the win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon, pulling out a 116-103 victory. It was a fairly unorthodox game in many ways, but OKC did what it needed to get done.
Among the most unique things about this particular contest was the offensive struggles of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He entered the fourth quarter with only 10 points and putting up his worst shooting performances of the past couple of years, but flipped a switch when it mattered most.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone on 4-of-6 shooting, which brought him to 20 points on the night. That extended his record-setting 20+ point streak to 128 games.
Outside of the Thunder superstar, it was the perimeter shooters who made the difference. Isaiah Joe poured in 20 points of his own on 4-of-8 shooting from deep, while McCain scored 15 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Chet Holmgren also made his presence felt, posting a +23 box plus/minus on the way to 21 points and nine rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein returned to the lineup this afternoon alongside him, producing 12 rebounds in just 20 minutes.
So overall, Oklahoma City’s bench was the big story. Led by Joe and McCain, the reserves frankly outplayed the starters and helped the Thunder improve to 53-15 on the season.
From here, OKC will begin a road trip that kicks off on Tuesday night in Orlando against the Magic. It’s the final stretch of the season, and every single game matters for the Western Conference standings and playoff seeding.