NBA playoffs takeaways: Timberwolves trounce Thunder in Game 3
After two double-digit losses to start the Western Conference finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves showed they have what it takes to not just challenge but completely shut down Oklahoma City, beating the Thunder 143-101 Saturday night and narrowing the series to 2-1.
The Timberwolves took a 34-14 lead in the first quarter and ran away with it from there; by the third quarter, Minnesota had secured a 42-point lead.
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How did that happen? Minnesota shot 57.3 percent from the field to Oklahoma City's 40.7 percent. The Timberwolves shot 50 percent from 3 to the Thunder's 31.8 percent. And Anthony Edwards scored 30 points to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 14 points, until both teams benched their starters with an eye toward Game 4 on Monday.
For as much poise and control as Oklahoma City have shown during this postseason — particularly in Games 1 and 2 against Minnesota — Game 3 was the complete opposite.
The Thunder sleepwalked into a fiery Target Center and aggressive Wolves defense, who used a similar approach to the Nuggets — keeping players at the boxes and elbows and rotating quickly to shore up any holes. Oklahoma City missed 11 of its first 15 shots of the game, turning the ball over five times in the first six minutes. They never recovered, trailing by as much as 45 points in the second half and finishing the evening shooting just 35 for 86 from the field and 14 for 44 from 3.
Daigneault, desperate to find any sort of rhythm, went deep into his bench, having already played 10 men by the start of the second quarter. But the Thunder were simply unable to create separation for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams, who went a combined 7 of 22 from the field. At the other end, a locked-in Anthony Edwards took control from the opening tip, leading the way with 30 points in 30 minutes.
Game 3 was always going to bring a level of desperation from a Wolves team looking to avoid a 3-0 deficit. The Thunder were unable to contain multiple waves of pressure from the game's onset, and will now look to correct things in Game 4.
Oklahoma City needs to play at a faster pace in the halfcourt. Minnesota's zone is working overtime to pressure ball handlers and passing lanes, but the Thunder are doing themselves no favors by moving at half speed. In Game 3, the Wolves seemed comfortable bringing Rudy Gobert higher up to meet Oklahoma City's guards, which should traditionally be an advantageous opportunity. This team is no stranger to the Box-and-One zone, the Nuggets used it periodically during the last round and at some point, the Thunder cracked the code. They'll need to do it again — and do a much better job containing Edwards — to avoid an even series.
— Kelly Iko, NBA staff writer
A change in venue made all the difference for the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose 143-101 Game 3 win against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder gave the conference finals a makeover.
Minnesota's win could be the difference between overcoming a 2-0 deficit or trying to pull off the postseason impossible: coming back from down 3-0.
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The Timberwolves used a red-hot first quarter led by Anthony Edwards (16 points in opening frame) to hand the Thunder their worst loss of the season after Oklahoma City opened the series with a convincing 2-0 series lead.
Edwards' 30 points led all scorers as Minnesota also relied on Julius Randle (24 points) and got 45 points from its reserve.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high and season-low 14 points, snapping a streak of five consecutive 30-point playoff games (tied Gus Williams' 1979 streak for the longest in franchise history). SGA's nine missed shots (4-of-13 shooting) were more than double his free-throw attempts (four). He averaged 14.5 free throws in Games 1 and 2.
The Timberwolves relied on an array of defenders to give the newly-crowned MVP trouble, including Terrence Shannon Jr. The rookie wing contributed 15 points in 13:12 of playing time after totals six points in his first six playoff outings (20 points).
The Timberwolves' 143 points set a team single-game playoff record and breathed new life into their hopes for making the first NBA Finals run in franchise history.
— James Jackson, NBA staff editor
We often think most playoff adjustments have to be big ones, like switching a defensive matchup, changing the lineup or deploying a new pick-and-roll scheme. But as Minnesota proved tonight, the best ones are often more subtle — and far more specific.
On offense, Anthony Edwards took slightly different angles coming off his pick-and-rolls. Rather than rush into them in a straight line to get downhill, as he did in Game 2, Edwards took a step sideways or even backward to ensure he ran his own man into the screen and gave himself an extra split second to read the rest of the Thunder defense. By starting wide and then shifting to go downhill, Edwards kept Oklahoma City off balanced, kept himself on balance and created more room for his now-elite pull-up 3.
"He elevates so much on his jump shot but it is pure." https://t.co/IBJdgmuwRP pic.twitter.com/Rjzmvc3ry2
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2025
On defense, Minnesota went against what many pundits publicly suggestions and gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams more space on their drives. The Timberwolves had crept far too close to the Thunder's stars in the first two games, allowing Oklahoma City to negate Minnesota's length advantage and — as you may have heard — stack up bushels of free throws. In Game 3, Jaden McDaniels made it a point to hang a few feet back of Gilgeous-Alexander, all while remaining on the balls of his feet to absorb SGA's strong attacks. The Wolves' bigs — Rudy Gobert in particular — stayed back at first, but then shifted up on the floor once Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams accelerated. This change prevented Oklahoma City's stars from initiating the body contact they thrived on in Games 1 and 2.
Now, the Thunder must figure out a way to creep more into Edwards' space on defense — and more into the Wolves defenders' spaces on offense.
— Mike Prada, NBA senior editor
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CNN
33 minutes ago
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What we know about the trans high school student at the center of Trump's threat to remove California funding
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Women's College World Series schedule: Scores, start times, TV channels for WCWS Thursday
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New York Times
41 minutes ago
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As the St. Louis Cardinals power their way toward the top of the National League Central, they again raise the question of how the organization will balance winning games with long-term development for its many young players. The month of May suggests both can be possible. After beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Wednesday night at Camden Yards, the Cardinals have won 18 of their last 23 games and eight of their past 10 series. Their pitching staff enters play Friday with a 3.26 ERA in May — the eighth-lowest in baseball. Offensively, they have the fifth-highest OPS in the National League this month (.735) and their fourth-highest average (.265). Advertisement St. Louis has been the best defensive team in baseball all season, leading the majors with 24 Outs Above Average (six more than the second-place Houston Astros). The Cardinals also lead MLB in runs prevented (19). The Cardinals are season-best eight games over .500 (32-24), which I'm sure has many of you feeling like Pedro Pagés. Mood: — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 28, 2025 During April, the most pressing question facing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol was whether they could balance player runway with team results. Now that question has shifted: What if the Cardinals can balance runway and results, but with different players than they first envisioned? 'If (Iván) Herrera and (Alec) Burleson become the versions that we're seeing right now, that's really good, right?' Marmol said. Much of the spring and early season was spent focusing on the offensive production of Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. They were the unofficial faces of the transition season, which resulted in Marmol trying to find everyday playing time for both hitters, even when Gorman and Walker slumped heavily in late April to mid-May. During that time, Herrera emerged as arguably the team's best right-handed bat. Since returning from the injured list in early May, Herrera has posted a .350/.431/.483. clip with 15 RBIs over 17 games. Burleson has been nearly as dominant against right-handed pitching with four homers and a .786 OPS, despite spending much of the first six weeks of the season as a bench bat. And for as woeful as Walker's offense was over the last month, his .333/.353/.545 line over his past 11 games (which includes a homer and 10 RBI) suggests a breakthrough is near. Back-to-back triples and this dugout is FIRED UP! 🔥 — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 28, 2025 That's made for another jigsaw puzzle for Marmol as the manager juggles individual playing time while building upon his team's surprising success. He and bench coach Daniel Descalso are tasked with finding ample playing time for Herrera, Burleson, Walker and Gorman — but there's always going to be an odd man out. Currently, that's Gorman. Advertisement In 105 plate appearances this year, Gorman is hitting .191 with a .589 OPS and just one home run. His strikeout rate is down over 10 percent from last season (Gorman owned a 37.6 percent K-rate in 2024, compared to a 26.7 percent rate this year), so that is something the Cardinals can be encouraged about. Similar to Walker, Gorman's swing won't be magically fixed overnight. But the playing time situation boils down to better hitters seeing better results. Here's how Marmol is currently looking at it: 'I don't want to use Walker as a platoon guy, but I don't mind firing Burleson in there strictly against righties,' Marmol explained. 'I won't do it every time, because Walker needs to play more than whenever we see a left-handed starter. But the way Alec is swinging it, it's hard not to put him in there against some of the other team's best right-handers. So, Jordan will play against lefties and righties, doesn't matter, and I'll pick Burleson's spots to hit against righties. 'I'd like Herrera to be in there every day,' he added. 'It's going to be mostly at the DH. I'll pair him with a couple of guys throughout the week to catch, which gives Burleson a shot at playing first and getting (Willson) Contreras off his feet. I will give Walker a couple of days a week off, playing him four to five days a week instead of running him out there every day, which gives Burleson another two games in the outfield. The name you're looking for here is Gorman, and that's where I'm having the most trouble finding playing time for. That's not an easy rotation.' Let's pause and address a couple of things. Why would Burleson be a platoon bat and not Walker? Burleson's splits are telling enough. For as impactful as he is against righties, he's hitting .167 with an OPS under .400 in 12 games this year — and he has a career .523 OPS against left-handers versus a .753 OPS against right-handers. The Cardinals have enough right-handed thump (especially with Herrera) to utilize Burleson at his strength. Walker is not terribly splitty, and the Cardinals committed to giving him consistent playing time. As long as they see Walker trending in the right direction, they will continue that path. Advertisement Why will Marmol mostly play Herrera at DH instead of catcher? That's more of a testament to Pagés than a knock on Herrera. Pagés has built a tremendous rapport with his pitching staff, with multiple starting pitchers praising him for his game-calling and preparation — two things that won't show up in the box score but are invaluable with a pitch-to-contact staff. But there's no way Marmol will sit Herrera with the way he's hitting, which leaves the designated hitter as the obvious spot. Our 6th run of the night comes home thanks to Iván Herrera! — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 29, 2025 How have Herrera and Burleson been able to break through offensively? In Herrera's case (like many others), it's the first time in his major-league career when he knows he will be playing every day. The defensive positioning differs, but the guarantee of consistent playing time is more important. It's helped Herrera grow confidence, which has correlated to success in the box. 'The (coaches) have been good with me,' Herrera said. '(Hitting coach Brant Brown) has really helped me out with the little things to make me a better hitter. Confidence as a hitter, it comes from preparation. I believe in what I did in the offseason, I trust my body is in the right spot. I just go in there and trust that I'm going to get a hit every single at-bat.' The same can be said with Burleson, who knew coming into the season that his playing time would be limited, at least to start. He also knew he needed to make adjustments with his pitch selection, and spent much of April working on that behind the scenes. One of Burleson's best traits as a hitter is his ability to put the bat on the ball. He has a high contact rate and doesn't strike out often, as evidenced by his 13 percent strikeout rate in 2023 and 12.8 percent rate in 2024. But the Cardinals encouraged Burleson to be more selective and look for specific pitches he could slug. Just because he could put the bat on any pitch in the zone didn't mean it was the right pitch to swing at. 'I'm giving pitchers strikes,' Burleson said. 'I'm giving them pitches that I know I can hit, but what am I going to do with them? Before, it was wanting to swing in the zone, I don't want to chase. Now, I've dialed in more to looking for a specific spot, which obviously changes pitcher to pitcher, but if it's not there, I'm going to give it to them. 'I'm fine hitting with two strikes. (Brown) calls it my super power,' he said with a smile. 'But before then, it has to be damage swings on damage pitches.' Advertisement So far, so good in that regard for Burleson, who has squared up 34.7 percent of the balls he's hit this year, per Statcast. That puts him in the top 6 percent of the league. It's also given him the upper hand over Gorman from the left side. That's something Marmol wishes he had a better solution for. 'What's tough for Gorman is when you look under the hood, he's making more contact, he's chasing less, he's walking more,' Marmol said. 'Yes, the bat speed is down, but that's at the expense of making contact. He needs a run of games to show that it's coming into play, which is hard to do at the moment because I'm not sure who you'd play him at the expense of. There's not a great answer for it.' The Cardinals, projected by most to be bottom-dwellers this season, have roared back into relevancy. It hasn't been at the hands of the players they expected, but isn't that the point of this season? This Cardinals season was designed to identify key players for the future. Now that some are starting to emerge, they might as well play them. (Photo of Alec Burleson from May 6: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
