OKLAHOMA CITY — The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 131-128 in overtime on Monday night after a 25-point second-half comeback led by Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves were led by Jaden McDaniels with 27 points, Naz Reid with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker with 21 points. Edwards had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists for Minnesota, which lost 130-123 to the Thunder on Sunday night.
Edwards blocked Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim with 13.2 seconds left in overtime, despite the fact that he had 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander also missed a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left in the extra period that would have tied the score.
In the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves were down as much as 16 points. They are only the second team in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to win after trailing by at least that many points with that little time left in regulation, according to ESPN Research. The Bucks did it against the Raptors on Jan. 4, 2023, after trailing by 21 in the final four minutes.
Chris Finch, the Timberwolves’ coach, praised his team’s “mental toughness” in facing the league’s best defense, which he claims fouls “all the time,” after the game. “It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said. “They really do. They foul frequently.
Shai can then hardly be touched. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try and play through it. And we were rewarded for just eventually being able to go downhill and force the issue on ourselves.” In the end, Minnesota attempted 39 free throws, their most since their game against the Wizards on Nov. 28, 2022. The Thunder, who led the Western Conference comfortably at 46-11, were led by Jalen Williams, who scored 27 points, and Aaron Wiggins, who scored 19. Chet Holmgren, the forward for the Thunder, rested after missing three months due to a pelvic fracture.
Despite having what Thunder coach Mark Daigneault described as a facial contusion, center Isaiah Hartenstein left the game in the second quarter and did not return. In the third quarter, Oklahoma City held an 82-57 lead and led 102-80 into the fourth. However, the Timberwolves outscored the Thunder 41-19 in the period thanks to rookie reserve Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 11 of his 17 points there.
Minnesota’s rally happened mostly without Edwards, who played less than four minutes in the fourth quarter and only the last two minutes of overtime. According to Finch, Edwards spent the majority of the fourth quarter on the bench because his leg was bothering him. But late in the extra period, Finch said he was told Edwards was good to return.
After the game, video showed Edwards in the tunnel celebrating the clutch block while saying he was playing “with a bad calf.”
The Timberwolves won without center Rudy Gobert, who was out because of lower back spasms, and Julius Randle, who has been out since last month because of a groin injury.