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CNN
6 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Minnesota Timberwolves set playoff franchise record in big win over Oklahoma City Thunder to cut West finals deficit to 2-1
The Minnesota Timberwolves set a franchise record for points scored in a playoff game on Saturday night as they routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the Western Conference finals. Anthony Edwards led the scoring with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes, on a night when six other Wolves players racked up double figures in points. 'It's about just bringing the energy with a team like this,' said the three-time All-Star after the game. 'OKC play with a ton of energy, no matter what, first or fourth quarter. So just trying to exceed their energy, or match it, at least. That was the most important thing today and I think we did that.' Also crucial to the win were Julius Randle, who scored 24, and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who impressed with 15 points in just 13 minutes. 'Huge,' said Randle when asked about Shannon's performance. 'We knew that we would need him this series, and coach obviously has a lot of trust in him. So, for him to be ready for his moment and come in and give us the lift he did – he brought a lot of energy to the game, intensity – he was just a huge boost for our team today.' Such was the contribution of the likes of Shannon that Minnesota's bench actually outscored the Thunder's starters 66-49 on the night. After two defeats in Oklahoma, the Wolves clearly relished returning to Target Center, where they have lost just one of their last 11 games. Up by 34 in the third quarter, Randle could be seen shouting the words 'We home now!' repeatedly in the direction of the Minnesota crowd. By that point, the contest had been over for some time. Oklahoma City has the best defense in the NBA, but found itself down quickly when a 12-0 run in the first quarter put the Wolves up 25-9. By the end of the quarter it was 34-14, and from early in the second quarter onward, the Thunder never got within 22 points of the home team. After scoring 69 points across the first two games of the series, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named NBA MVP earlier this week, could only manage 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting. With 4:25 remaining in the third quarter and the Thunder down by 38, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault conceded and subbed out his star man – much to the delight of the home crowd, which had booed him incessantly throughout. 'We just didn't bring it from an energy and focus standpoint,' Gilgeous-Alexander admitted afterward. 'They just came out with a sense of urgency and we didn't.' The Wolves will be hoping to make home advantage count again and tie the series when the teams meet in Game 4 on Monday night.
CNN
6 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Minnesota Timberwolves set playoff franchise record in big win over Oklahoma City Thunder to cut West finals deficit to 2-1
The Minnesota Timberwolves set a franchise record for points scored in a playoff game on Saturday night as they routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the Western Conference finals. Anthony Edwards led the scoring with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes, on a night when six other Wolves players racked up double figures in points. 'It's about just bringing the energy with a team like this,' said the three-time All-Star after the game. 'OKC play with a ton of energy, no matter what, first or fourth quarter. So just trying to exceed their energy, or match it, at least. That was the most important thing today and I think we did that.' Also crucial to the win were Julius Randle, who scored 24, and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who impressed with 15 points in just 13 minutes. 'Huge,' said Randle when asked about Shannon's performance. 'We knew that we would need him this series, and coach obviously has a lot of trust in him. So, for him to be ready for his moment and come in and give us the lift he did – he brought a lot of energy to the game, intensity – he was just a huge boost for our team today.' Such was the contribution of the likes of Shannon that Minnesota's bench actually outscored the Thunder's starters 66-49 on the night. After two defeats in Oklahoma, the Wolves clearly relished returning to Target Center, where they have lost just one of their last 11 games. Up by 34 in the third quarter, Randle could be seen shouting the words 'We home now!' repeatedly in the direction of the Minnesota crowd. By that point, the contest had been over for some time. Oklahoma City has the best defense in the NBA, but found itself down quickly when a 12-0 run in the first quarter put the Wolves up 25-9. By the end of the quarter it was 34-14, and from early in the second quarter onward, the Thunder never got within 22 points of the home team. After scoring 69 points across the first two games of the series, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named NBA MVP earlier this week, could only manage 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting. With 4:25 remaining in the third quarter and the Thunder down by 38, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault conceded and subbed out his star man – much to the delight of the home crowd, which had booed him incessantly throughout. 'We just didn't bring it from an energy and focus standpoint,' Gilgeous-Alexander admitted afterward. 'They just came out with a sense of urgency and we didn't.' The Wolves will be hoping to make home advantage count again and tie the series when the teams meet in Game 4 on Monday night.
CNN
6 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Minnesota Timberwolves set playoff franchise record in big win over Oklahoma City Thunder to cut West finals deficit to 2-1
The Minnesota Timberwolves set a franchise record for points scored in a playoff game on Saturday night as they routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the Western Conference finals. Anthony Edwards led the scoring with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes, on a night when six other Wolves players racked up double figures in points. 'It's about just bringing the energy with a team like this,' said the three-time All-Star after the game. 'OKC play with a ton of energy, no matter what, first or fourth quarter. So just trying to exceed their energy, or match it, at least. That was the most important thing today and I think we did that.' Also crucial to the win were Julius Randle, who scored 24, and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who impressed with 15 points in just 13 minutes. 'Huge,' said Randle when asked about Shannon's performance. 'We knew that we would need him this series, and coach obviously has a lot of trust in him. So, for him to be ready for his moment and come in and give us the lift he did – he brought a lot of energy to the game, intensity – he was just a huge boost for our team today.' Such was the contribution of the likes of Shannon that Minnesota's bench actually outscored the Thunder's starters 66-49 on the night. After two defeats in Oklahoma, the Wolves clearly relished returning to Target Center, where they have lost just one of their last 11 games. Up by 34 in the third quarter, Randle could be seen shouting the words 'We home now!' repeatedly in the direction of the Minnesota crowd. By that point, the contest had been over for some time. Oklahoma City has the best defense in the NBA, but found itself down quickly when a 12-0 run in the first quarter put the Wolves up 25-9. By the end of the quarter it was 34-14, and from early in the second quarter onward, the Thunder never got within 22 points of the home team. After scoring 69 points across the first two games of the series, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named NBA MVP earlier this week, could only manage 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting. With 4:25 remaining in the third quarter and the Thunder down by 38, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault conceded and subbed out his star man – much to the delight of the home crowd, which had booed him incessantly throughout. 'We just didn't bring it from an energy and focus standpoint,' Gilgeous-Alexander admitted afterward. 'They just came out with a sense of urgency and we didn't.' The Wolves will be hoping to make home advantage count again and tie the series when the teams meet in Game 4 on Monday night.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Randle was reliable in Game 3
Anthony Edwards powered Minnesota to its highest-scoring playoff game ever as the Timberwolves cruised to a 143-101 victory over Oklahoma City Getty Images After struggling in Game 2, Julius Randle responded with a poised performance tonight. He got to his spots consistently and confidently, scoring 24 points on 9-15 shooting and finished as a team-high +38. Getty Images With Minnesota trailing the Western Conference Finals 2-0 entering Game 3, Anthony Edwards set the tone for a dominant Wolves win. He scored 30 points on an uber-efficient 12-17 shooting, including 5-8 from deep. He also grabbed nine boards and dropped six dimes to help Minnesota defend home court. Tyler N: I thought the Wolves were dead in this series? Johnny M: Terrance Shannon looks like Michael Jordan out there. Barry: This is so bad, it should count for two wins. Ash Z: This game is cathartic AF. Thanks, Wolves! Your fan base needed it! Imagn Images Final - Wolves 143, Thunder 101 Well, that was certainly a response from the Minnesota Timberwolves, dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder at home for an impressive win in Game 3. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined for 54 points while Terrence Shannon Jr. provided a spark off the bench, scoring 15 points. Game 4 will be Monday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. We've reached the "We want (Joe) Ingles!" part of the evening, with the fans here getting greedy with their latest chant. As if a blowout win over Oklahoma City wasn't enough... Getty Images We still have a ways to go until we reach the most lopsided margin of victory in playoff history. That's 58 points, which has happened twice: 1956: Minneapolis Lakers 133, St. Louis Hawks 75 2009: Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 69 This would only be the third-biggest blowout of this season's playoffs if the margin held at 44. The Cavaliers beat Miami by 55 points in Game 4 of their first-round series, while Oklahoma City thumped Memphis by 51 in its playoff opener. With six minutes left to play in Game 3, the Timberwolves have scored their most points in a game so far this postseason. Both benches have cleared with 7:41 remaining in this one. The Thunder have some adjusting to do for Game 4. The first thing is they need to up their level of physicality. It seems surreal to have to say that about THIS Thunder team but on Saturday night, Oklahoma City got punked by the Minnesota Timberwolves. That can't happen again this series. Q4 7:41- Wolves 120, Thunder 78 Terrence Shannon Jr. continues to impress in Game 3, hitting a tough layup in the paint plus the foul. He now has 15 points, which is more than any player on the Thunder. Through three quarters, Minnesota made more shots outside the paint (21-of-39) than inside the paint (19-of-32). For comparison, the Thunder made only 10-of-36 shots outside the paint. Game 3, 2016 Western Conference Finals: Thunder led Warriors by 37 points through three quarters. Oklahoma City went on to take a 3-1 series lead, then lose in 7. Timberwolves won't have a 3-1 lead to worry about, but they're up 37 through three quarters. Have to treat each game as it's own link in the chain. End Q3 - Wolves 107, Thunder 70 Two buckets by Kenrich Williams puts a bow on the third quarter with Oklahoma City trailing by 37 points. Imagn Images Thunder leave Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein in to guard Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, but all three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren are off the floor. Should be for good. The Thunder currently have no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, and no Jalen Williams on the floor. Instead, they have Ajay Mitchell on the floor. Feels like Mark Daigneault is semi-raising the white flag and looking forward to Monday night's Game 4. Yeah, we're pretty much done here. No need to recall past comebacks. We can just look back at past blowouts with the lead ballooning to 38 points with only 16:25 left to play. I'd suggest load management for the Thunder with Game 4 Monday night. Getty Images You saw the Timberwolves' prime adjustment again on that blocked Jalen Williams midrange shot. Rudy Gobert started back, keeping himself on the balls of his feet, then closed that space just as Williams began to accelerate into the midrange area to get the block. Q3 4:25 - Wolves 94, Thunder 56 Julius Randle hits a step-back 3 and a few possessions later, swishes through a 10-foot jumper prompting Oklahoma City to call timeout as Minnesota's lead balloons to 38 points. Another strong game for Randle. He's up to 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He is a team-high +35. The Thunder started the second half with an 11-2 run to get somewhat back into the game but the Wolves have responded with 12 straight points. Q3 6:22 - Wolves 86, Thunder 52 Thunder went on a nice little run to start third quarter and then go right back to stepping on rakes.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Edwards and Timberwolves strike back with 143-101 win to cut Thunder's West finals lead to 2-1
MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in just three quarters to lead the re-energized Minnesota Timberwolves in a 143-101 victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals that cut the Thunder's lead in the series to 2-1. Julius Randle added 24 points and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. had 15 points in 13 minutes to highlight a big boost from the bench for the Wolves, who caused all kinds of cracks in the Thunder's NBA -best defense after struggling to solve it in the two lopsided losses on the road.
