Thunder storm through Timberwolves defense to hand Minnesota 129-106 loss

Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, the Timberwolves let the Thunder into the paint. They let the Thunder shoot open threes. They let their guard down in the most literal sense.

The result: a 129-106 loss to the Thunder, the Timberwolves' worst defeat of the season, in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the Western Conference.

The Wolves (22-7) have risen to the top of the West with their top-ranked defense. It didn't travel this time.

"They spread you out,'' Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. "And they have a bunch of guys who can live in your paint. When they shoot like they did [Tuesday], they're very hard to guard."

The Thunder (19-9) shot 60.5%, the best by a Wolves opponent this season. Ditto for Oklahoma City's 18 made threes and their 35 assists.

Minnesota couldn't stop the Thunder from penetrating, which meant they couldn't do much about the drive-and-kicks. They couldn't do anything about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at all. He finished with 34 points, his 12th game with 30 or more in his past 14, and he had 30 after three quarters.

Minnesota let itself get pushed into a shootout, which is not its game.

Offensively, the Wolves managed 106 points, shot nearly 47%, made 12 of 27 threes … and got shellacked.

"I didn't think offensively we were able to establish a consistent rhythm all night," Finch said. "Our spacing was poor. It was not our best effort."

As Finch said, the Wolves offense consisted of five players all fighting their own battles rather than a group working together. That might explain their 21 turnovers, which the Thunder turned into 23 points.

But this loss was mainly because of the subpar defense. In the first meeting between the two teams — a 106-103 Wolves victory on Nov. 28 — a strong dose of zone defense went a long way. Tuesday not so much.

"They were exceptional," Finch said. "We went to one and they made a bunch of threes. We tried switching. We tried to stay in coverage. Not much worked. Credit to them."

Gilgeous-Alexander made 14 of 19 shots, with nine assists and six boards. It was his drive to the basket with 4½ minutes left in the game that put the Thunder up 121-99 and prompted Finch to call a timeout, raise the white flag and sit his starters.

Jalen Williams had 21 for the Thunder, going 7-for-11 overall and 4-for-6 on threes. Minnesota native Chet Holmgren (8-for-13, 3-for-6 threes) had 20 points, as did Luguentz Dort, who was an incredible 5-for-6 on threes. Oklahoma City's starting lineup shot a collective 67.8% overall, making 12 of 23 threes.

Four of five Wolves starters scored in double figures, led by Anthony Edwards (25), Mike Conley (17) and Karl-Anthony Towns (16).

But even with all the problems, the Wolves were in the game for much of the first three quarters. They stayed within five even after the Thunder scored 40 points on 70% shooting in the first quarter. They were within 102-91 entering the fourth.

Then the game got away. Williams hit consecutive three-pointers to start the fourth quarter, putting the Thunder up 17. After Conley — who was 5-for-7 on three-pointers — hit a three of his own, Holmgren hit a three and the Thunder started pulling away, leading by as many as 25.

Now the Wolves need a rebound performance at home against Dallas on Thursday. After a 127-113 loss at Atlanta on Oct. 30, the Wolves responded with seven consecutive victories. After a 133-115 loss in Phoenix on Nov. 15, the Wolves won nine of their next 10.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.