The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, below are my takeaways.
A difficult stretch of basketball continued Sunday for the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 116-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The loss is Minnesota’s fourth in the last five games; here are key takeaways from the matchup:
A Down Game for Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards is having a career scoring season at 29.7 points per game, and the Timberwolves have needed it from him in several games. Even when he can produce a big scoring night, Minnesota cannot always get the job done; making it even more imperative for him to be the best version of himself at all times.
But in an 82-game regular NBA season, even the best players are going to have below average or poor performances, and that is what happened to Edwards on Sunday. The Timberwolves paid for it.
Edwards scored 19 points while shooting 6-17 from the field. Additionally, he missed five free throws, had six turnovers and five personal fouls. It simply was not his day, and while the loss does not fall solely on his shoulders, Minnesota could not overcome the defending champions with such a performance by him.
In place of Edwards, Julius Randle led the way with 32 points, and two other Timberwolves scored in double figures through efficient outings: Donte DiVincenzo (16 PTS, 6-9 FG) and Ayo Dosunmu (18 points, 7-9 FG).
The Timberwolves also shot 45.5% from 3-point range, and it still was not enough.
An Overwhelming Effort
Much like Edwards, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not having the best shooting night as the reigning MVP shot just 7-22 from the field for 20 points. However, everyone else around him ate, and he was key in dishing it out.
Gilgeous-Alexander dished out 10 assists to just one turnover. As a result, he was integral in helping five teammates reach double figures, including two other 20-plus point scorers: Chet Holmgren (21 PTS) and Isaiah Joe (20 PTS).
The Timberwolves were effective in keeping Gilgeous-Alexander from getting his, but they were powerless to stop him from getting everyone else involved and limiting them as well.
Falling Short in Several Areas
The Timberwolves were outclassed in multiple statistical metrics on Sunday, and their own mistakes cost them as well.
When it came to protecting possessions, Minnesota struggled. By the end of the game, the Timberwolves had committed 22 turnovers while the Thunder had only seven.
Oklahoma City also outscored Minnesota in paint points (46-32), second chance points (20-7) and fastbreak points (17-10). To fall short in those areas while not taking care of the basketball is a recipe for failure.
At 41-27 and sixth place in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves have a difficult stretch of games coming up that features meetings with the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.