logo
Thunder vs. Timberwolves: Live updates, highlights for Sunday's game

Thunder vs. Timberwolves: Live updates, highlights for Sunday's game

Yahoo24-02-2025

The Oklahoma City Thunder travel on the road to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. It's the first of a rare road-and-home back-to-back for the same squad. Last time out, OKC looked exhausted in a pre-All-Star break loss at Minnesota on Feb. 13.
The Thunder (45-10) returned from the NBA's extravaganza with a blowout win over the Utah Jazz on Friday. It was the first time they had a nearly healthy roster this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams showed out in the lopsided victory.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves (31-26) dropped their first game back from the All-Star break. They suffered a close loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday. Anthony Edwards' 37 points weren't enough.
For live updates and highlights from the Thunder's game against the Timberwolves, regularly check back to this post:
TV Channel: ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma
Start time: 8:30 p.m. CT
Watch Thunder vs. Timberwolves live on Fubo (free trial)
Thunder: Ajay Mitchell (toe sprain) is out. Nikola Topic (torn ACL) is out.
Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert (back spasms) is out. Julius Randle (groin strain) is out. Donte DiVincenzo (toe sprain) is out.
Monday, Feb. 24 vs. Timberwolves
Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Nets
Friday, Feb. 28 at Hawks
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder vs. Timberwolves: Live updates, highlights for Sunday's game

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Minnesota Timberwolves Reportedly Frontrunners To Land Kevin Durant
Minnesota Timberwolves Reportedly Frontrunners To Land Kevin Durant

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Minnesota Timberwolves Reportedly Frontrunners To Land Kevin Durant

Minnesota Timberwolves Reportedly Frontrunners To Land Kevin Durant originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Minnesota Timberwolves have suddenly emerged as the leading contenders to land Kevin Durant in what could become the most high-profile trade of the 2025 NBA offseason. Advertisement According to Zach Lowe of The Zach Lowe Show, the Timberwolves now sit atop the 'buzz' rankings in the Durant sweepstakes, leapfrogging previous favorites like the Houston Rockets and even the San Antonio Spurs, who were once thought to be in a near-done deal with the future Hall of Famer. "I would say the buzz order right now, if I had to do a buzz rank is Minnesota." Just a week ago, it seemed like Durant was quietly headed to San Antonio. Reports of mutual interest and a potential secret deal surrounding the NBA Draft had fueled widespread speculation. But momentum has shifted rapidly, and now Minnesota, fresh off back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, is aggressively exploring a deal to bring Durant to the Twin Cities. Advertisement This is more than a pipe dream. Shams Charania confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show that Minnesota, Houston, and Miami are now the three most serious contenders for Durant. While nothing can be made official until July 1 due to second-apron financial restrictions, trade frameworks are being actively discussed behind the scenes. For Minnesota, the logic is simple. They've built a bruising, elite defensive team behind Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels. What they've lacked in both playoff exits has been a dependable secondary scoring option to relieve pressure off Edwards late in games. Enter Kevin Durant. Despite being 36, Durant remains one of the most efficient and lethal scorers in basketball. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7% shooting from the field and 43% from deep during the 2024–25 season. Even as the Phoenix Suns collapsed around him, finishing 36–46 and missing the play-in entirely, Durant remained their lone bright spot. When he wasn't on the floor, the Suns went just 3–17. Advertisement Durant's fit next to Edwards would instantly give Minnesota one of the most potent one-two punches in the league. The idea of Edwards slicing into the paint while Durant punishes defenders with pull-up jumpers and off-ball cuts is nightmarish for any defense. However, putting together a trade package will be difficult. Anthony Edwards is off-limits, and Naz Reid and Julius Randle, acquired at the deadline, would have to opt in to their contracts to be trade-eligible. That leaves Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and future draft picks as potential assets in a Durant trade. McDaniels, in particular, could be the key. At $24.4 million per year and just 24 years old, he represents both immediate value and long-term upside. Gobert's salary would help match Durant's $54.7 million for next season, but whether Phoenix wants an aging big man with limited offensive upside is unclear. Advertisement The Rockets remain in the mix, though it's reported that acquiring Durant would require them to part with both Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., a heavy price for a win-now swing. The Heat are always lurking, but their assets may not match Minnesota's combination of win-now talent and picks. As of now, the Timberwolves are the frontrunners and for good reason. They're close. They've tasted the edge of greatness. Durant might be the final step in their evolution from a feel-good story into legitimate title favorites. If the deal happens, the West could be looking at a new superpower, led by a cold-blooded scorer and a rising superstar ready to take the crown. Related: Former NBA Player Feels Anthony Edwards Would Go "Supernova" With Kevin Durant On The Timberwolves This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.

For MLB's second generation players, love of game tops genetics
For MLB's second generation players, love of game tops genetics

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

For MLB's second generation players, love of game tops genetics

For MLB's second generation players, love of game tops genetics – and science agrees In Father's Day nature vs. nurture debate, MLB's Sons know it's not just their genes. Show Caption Hide Caption Seattle Mariners' newest player shares promotion with family Cole Young announces his move to the big leagues playing for Seattle Mariners during an emotional phone call with his family. Jackson Holliday has read the scouting reports and heard the buzz about his own skills and those of his younger brother, Ethan, for most of his young life. And it rarely takes more than a sentence or two before talk turns from their work ethics or their gorgeous swings or power potential to the tie that ostensibly binds them to predictive greatness. Bloodlines. It's both the most obvious and yet oversimplified evaluation a baseball scout can make – a recognizable name leaping off the page, a player profile to dream on based on how far their father made it in the game. And ostensibly, the Holliday family justifies those dreams: For the second time in four years, a Holliday lad will be picked at or near the very top of Major League Baseball's draft when Ethan is selected somewhere in the first five or so picks at the July 13 selection party. Jackson, still just 21, is in his second year as a Baltimore Oriole and perhaps already on his way to his first All-Star Game. Ethan, while having to conquer several levels of minor league ball to join his older brother in a major league middle infield, could be a bigger and more powerful version of Jackson. Both are carrying the legacy of their father Matt, a seven-time All-Star, a batting champion, a World Series winner who slugged 316 home runs over 15 years in the major leagues. Genes to dream on, for certain. Yet the story of baseball bloodlines will forever be a classic nature vs. nurture equation, and despite inherent advantages of growing up Holliday or Clemens or Bellinger, countless environmental factors will determine if the child's most important adult acronym, say, is OPS or CPA. 'It's nice to have the genes – my dad's a big guy and played baseball a long time,' says Holliday, on pace for a 20-homer, 20-steal season in his first full season in the majors. 'But I don't look like him and I just have the last name and he happens to be my dad. 'I think a lot of it has to do with growing up in the game and watching someone you want to be like, and that's what they do. So, that's essentially what me and my brothers wanted to do.' Indeed, the Holliday patriarch is built like an NFL linebacker – at 6-4, 240 pounds, he had both speed and power and at 45 still cuts an imposing figure when he's around a major league batting cage. While Holliday was a slugging left fielder, his eldest sons are cut from a different template: Jackson is 6 feet and 185 pounds, while Ethan is already 6-4, about 200 pounds and projected to stick at shortstop long term. Not exactly daddy duplicates from a physical standpoint. 'Yeah, it's nice having good genetics,' says Kody Clemens, youngest son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, and a versatile reserve for the Minnesota Twins. 'But the exposure is probably more important.' The scientific community generally agrees. 'Biology is really good at mixing things up' It's been nearly a decade since Alejandro Lucia collaborated with renowned genomic professor Claude Bouchard - regarded as a godfather of genetics and exercise – on a 2016 study exploring the responses and adaptations of the body to exercise. Lucia, a professor and researcher at European University of Madrid, worked with human patients and animals and extensively explored how genetics influence the body. 'We found, basically, nothing,' says Lucia. That's not to say genetics don't affect body types. Lucia says there is an 'undeniable genetic influence' that he pegs at around 50% that determines whether a person's phenotype is better suited toward respiratory fitness or muscular makeup. Humans, at their core, are endurance animals, he says. Yet what makes athletes great are almost exclusively influenced by environment, be it the preponderance of elite East African distance runners or, say, an elite travel baseball team from Texas. 'Is it the genes you have inherited from your father? Or is it the influence, the atmosphere?' says Lucia. 'In the case of sports performance, we're not talking about a single phenotype. It's the combination of many phenotypes. What makes you a good basketball player? Is it strength? Is it skill? Is it motivation? It's many different things. 'It is probably the combination of too many factors. We tend to blame our genetics on too many things.' Certainly, genetics play some role in getting a child into the game. Stephen M. Roth, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Maryland, has studied genetics and elements of skeletal muscle and athletic performance for more than 20 years. Loosely, he pegs the chances of bestowing athletic genes on offspring at about 50%, though some factors have a higher likelihood of inheritance. Height, for instance, has closer to 80% inheritability. 'Most of these traits are remarkably complex. It's not just a single gene that's contributing and you either have it or you don't,' says Roth. 'It's going to be a lot of different genes, all contributing and the likelihood that at least some of those are passed down is probably pretty good. But certainly not all of them, in the exact pattern that either parent has. 'Biology is really good at mixing things up, and purposefully doing so.' Roth says certain psychological factors – competitiveness, say – have about a 20-30% likelihood of inheritability. Yet it's almost impossible for genetics to outkick an athlete's surroundings. 'When you see a given geographic group or set of families who are especially successful in a given sport, instead of thinking of genes I will think of the special environment of this particular geographic reason or this particular family' says Lucia. 'The example, the inspiration they get from their parents. 'I will never be a great baseball player. But maybe my genetic makeup is not that different from the best baseball player in the U.S.' 'The Clay Stare' And sometimes the next generation quickly exceeds its predecessors. Cody Bellinger didn't need much time to push the label 'son of ex-Yankee Cody Bellinger' into the background. He hit 20 home runs in his first 51 major league games, and doubled his father's career total of 12 in his first 57. No, Cody wasn't inheriting Babe Ruth's genetic profile. Yet growing up Bellinger – Clay was part of World Series-winning Yankees teams in 1999 and 2000 – was pivotal. 'You're in the batting cage, you're picking up baseballs, you're going out to batting practice and you just fall in love with it,' says Bellinger, who won the 2019 NL MVP award and has a .760 OPS this season for the Yankees. 'Moreso than other kids who don't have that opportunity. A huge blessing. 'I think just being around it, you just appreciate it and you love it and it's not forced. For me, I loved it.' That's one trait that can't be underestimated. The pressure of following in a famous father's footsteps can be immense. With no ceiling on travel ball and many ballplayer families residing in warm-weather climes, the potential for burnout is immense. 'It's almost like going into the family business. You have this, maybe stated, but unstated expectation that you could, or maybe should, be following in this person's footsteps,' says Roth, the Maryland professor. 'You have this unique opportunity to go into this particular business. I think the concern is, how many of these kids actually feel pressure to do it, but don't realize they may not want to do it? 'They may be good at it, but is this how they want to spend their lives? That can be really hard to disentangle. We see that following in the family business, too, where someone says, 'No, actually, I don't want to be a butcher.'' The second-gen kids who made the big leagues tended to steer into it. Craig Biggio, the Hall of Fame second baseman for the Houston Astros, was already retired by the time his son Cavan was in high school. So the elder Biggio took the coaching reins at Houston's St. Thomas High School, giving Cavan a potential double-whammy: A legacy to look up to, and the stigma that can come by being The Coach's Son. Yet it turns out his teammates thought it was nifty having a coach who was two years from having a bust in Cooperstown. 'Because everybody loved having him, having a Hall of Fame guy,' says Cavan, who is in his seventh major league season. 'It was a professional environment from a high school level, which was really rare and cool. 'So when I eventually got to pro ball, it was already things I was doing from a young age.' Not that Dad can't be hard on the kid. Clay Bellinger also coached some of Cody's teams, preaching lessons Cody relies upon to this day, and also saying so much by saying virtually nothing. 'I was lucky enough that my dad was the coach,' says Bellinger, drafted in the fourth round by the Dodgers in 2013, 'but me and my friends had a little joke – if you didn't do something well, you'd get the 'Clay Stare.' 'He'd stare at you and you'd feel it. That you did something wrong. That was always something that we joked around with and that stuck with me – play the game hard.' 'This was going to be for me' Of course, having a ballplayer dad means having lots of famous uncles. Matt Holliday played long enough that Jackson can remember kibitzing in the clubhouse and on the field with the likes of Nolan Arenado and Aaron Judge. Biggio recalls catcher Brad Ausmus as a 'funny, witty guy,' and appreciates the respect he was afforded from Astros such as Morgan Ensberg, Lance Berkman and Willy Taveras. Josh Barfield, a four-year major leaguer and now the assistant general manager of the White Sox and son of Blue Jays legend Jesse Barfield, counted Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Jr. as de facto family members thanks to his father's longtime friendships with both. As little kids and adolescents, they didn't go through the grind. But they got an up-close view of what it took to survive it. 'You watch the work every day – and go out and try to replicate what I watched for so long,' says Jackson Holliday. Sometimes, it's the only life they know. 'Kasey and I always talk about how we really didn't understand what there was in life besides being a baseball fan or baseball player,' says Kody Clemens of his older brother. 'Growing up, we knew we wanted to be the players. 'When (Roger Clemens) was in New York and in the tail end of his career in Houston - that was when I realized how good he was, why these people were coming to the stadium, why we were going to the stadium. From 5 to 10 years old was when I realized what was going on.' While some of the legacy ballplayers become elite – like Bellinger and Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – or are burgeoning stars like the Hollidays, others are determined to stick. Clemens has never played in more than 56 games since his 2022 debut and at 29 is enjoying his first taste of extended success with Minnesota, slugging six homers in 36 games after Philadelphia designated him for assignment in April. Biggio is currently at Class AAA with Kansas City, after making the club out of spring training; he's with his fourth organization in the past two seasons. It's plenty of time to ponder who makes it, who stays, and why. 'I think athleticism has a ton to do with it, but everybody in pro ball is athletic, even college baseball,' says Biggio. 'I more credit being around it as a young kid. For me, it developed a passion and a love and a want for what this was going to be for me.' Or, as Maryland's Roth puts it, 'baseball is always in the environment. You have this almost constant presence. That's going to lead to expectations and opportunities for these kids.' And the cycle rolls along. As Bellinger glances about the Yankees clubhouse, a pair of young boys, baseball gloves in hand, tail behind assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes, like ducklings following their mother to the pond. 'There you go,' he says as elementary-school aged Kash and Jett head out to the field, perhaps taking the tiniest steps toward draft day 2036. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Top five impactful transfer portal additions for Michigan State football in 2025
Top five impactful transfer portal additions for Michigan State football in 2025

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Top five impactful transfer portal additions for Michigan State football in 2025

Top five impactful transfer portal additions for Michigan State football in 2025 The transfer portal is just as important as recruiting in modern college football, and it's been even more important for the Spartans under the first few offseasons under new head coach Jonathan Smith. Michigan State football has leaned on the transfer portal to help build up a winning roster under Smith, and this past year's portal haul was especially impressive. Fans are hoping that the new faces via the portal will get Michigan State back to a winning season and reach a bowl game again for the first time in three years. So who were some of the new transfer portal guys that could have an instant impact on the Spartans this upcoming season? Check out five names I believe will have the most impact on Michigan State football in 2025. Joshua Eaton Position: Cornerback Previous Team: Texas State Eaton comes to Michigan State with a ton of experience after stops at Oklahoma and Texas State. He began his career at Oklahoma where played three seasons before transferring to Texas State for the past two seasons. In total, he has appeared in 43 games with 49 tackles and 13 passes defended. Eaton is expected to secure one of the two starting cornerback spots for the Spartans this upcoming season, which is always a critical position for success. Expectations are high for Eaton as the highest-rated transfer portal addition for the Spartans this year. Conner Moore Position: Offensive Tackle Previous Team: Montana State Moore was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) wins of the transfer portal winter session this offseason. Michigan State beat out the likes of Ohio State, Cincinnati and Auburn for the elite FCS transfer portal target. Moore was a 2024 All-FCS 1st Teamer and 2023 FCS All-Freshmen honoree while at Montana State, and comes to Michigan State with two years of eligibility remaining. He is expected to step in as one of the starting tackles on what should be an improved Michigan State offensive line this upcoming season. Grady Kelly Position: Defensive Line Previous Team: Florida State Michigan State needed to improve its defensive line through the portal this offseason so it's an easy decision to include Kelly on this list. He comes to Michigan State after playing last season at Florida State, and before that at Colorado State. Kelly appeared in all 12 of Florida State's games this past season, where e recorded 19 tackles, with three of those for a loss and one sack. Kelly should contend for a starting spot on the Spartans' defensive line, and at a minimum will be part of the key rotation. For Michigan State to experience this upcoming season, an improve defensive line must be in the fold. Elijah Tau-Tolliver Position: Running Back Previous Team: Sacramento State Michigan State knew they would have to add at least one running back via the portal with the exits of Nate Carter and Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams, and they did just that with Tau-Tolliver from Sacramento State. Tau-Tolliver ran for just under 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns with the Hornets this past season, and will surely be in the mix for the Spartans' starting running back spot this upcoming season. Michigan State does have a few young running backs on the roster already that will also be in contention for a high-number of carries this upcoming season. So we shouldn't expect Tau-Tolliver to be a bell-cow type of back this season, but I personally anticipate him being one of the top players in that room this year. Chrishon McCray Position: Wide Receiver Previous Team: Kent State Michigan State added a number of high-level wide receivers via the portal this offseason, but I went with McCray as my final top impact player due to his versatility. The speedster wide receiver from Kent State should be an instant impact for the Spartans, providing another deep threat but also someone who can play out of the slot as well. McCray had more than 600 yards in each of his two seasons at Kent State and recorded a total of 13 touchdowns (nine this past year). I won't necessarily say he's going to hit those kind of numbers again this year, but I fully expect him to be the perfect No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver for the Spartans this upcoming season -- pairing very nicely with returning top receiver Nick Marsh and fellow transfer Omari Kelly. Honorable Mention Here are a few other incoming transfers that you should keep a close eye on this fall as potential high-impact players for the Spartans: Omari Kelly - wide receiver from Middle Tennessee State Matt Gulbin - offensive lineman from Wake Forest Isaac Smith - edge rusher from Texas Tech Luka Vincic - offensive lineman from Oregon State Evan Boyd - wide receiver from Central Michigan Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store