The Oklahoma City Thunder protected home court in the first two games of the series in impressive fashion. So much so that it seemed inevitable that they would advance to the top level of the NBA Playoff Pagoda to face the final boss.
But the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t roll into a fetal position. No, they Mike Tyson’d their way out of the corner and beat down the Thunder by 42 points to protect their home court.
The Thunder are a young team and, in the past, that Game 3 might have buckled the knees and kept them on the canvas. But OKC is now battle tested and primed. They showed their mettle by responding with a 128-126 win in Game 4 to take control of the series.
On Wednesday, there were no ifs ands or buts about the outcome, as OKC won the first quarter, 26-9, went into halftime with a 33-point lead, then cruised to the 124-94 victory.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200; 58.75 FPTS) led the way with 34 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 34 minutes. He shot 14-of-25 from the field, 2-of-4 from downtown and 4-of-4 from the line. The MVP showed that he was well-deserved of the award, being the alpha for a Thunder team headed to the NBA Finals.
Jalen Williams ($7,500; 39 FPTS) was an excellent Robin to Shai’s Batman. He went for 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal in 32 minutes. He shot 7-of-14 from the field, 1-of-4 from downtown and 4-of-5 from the line.
The third piece of the Thunder Triumvirate was Chet Holmgren ($6,600; 37.75 FPTS), who finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes. He shot 8-of-13 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 4-of-6 from the line.
Lugentz Dort ($3,800; 25.5 FPTS) shot 4-of-11 from downtown, finishing with 12 points. He also had four rebounds, an assist and three steals.
Alex Caruso ($4,000; 24.25 FPTS) was once again a menace on the defensive end, racking up four steals. He also chipped in eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
For Minnesota:
Anthony Edwards ($9,200; 30.5 FPTS) had 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 38 minutes. He shot only 7-of-18 from the field, 1-of-7 from downtown and 4-of-6 from the line.
Julius Randle ($7,700; 36.75 FPTS) put up 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 31 minutes. He converted 8-of-14 from the field, 4-of-6 from downtown and 4-of-5 from the line.
Nickeil Alexander-Alexander ($3,300; 6 FPTS) was the Value Du Jour for much of the series and had a ceiling game on Monday. NAW had his first poor floor game on Wednesday, shooting 0-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from downtown. He had two rebounds and three assists.
