Thunder vs. Timberwolves: OKC limits Anthony Edwards, gets 40 from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to secure Game 4 thriller

Oklahoma City’s Game 3 hangover is a thing of the past.

The Thunder’s active defense and efficient offense returned to form Monday night for a 128-126 thriller over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. With the win, Oklahoma City secured a 3-1 series lead and stands one win away from a berth in the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder effort with a career playoff-high 40 points. Anthony Edwards managed just 16 points for the Timberwolves. The Thunder will face a chance to clinch the series at home in Game 5 Wednesday night.

Active Thunder hands give Timberwolves fits

Oklahoma City set the tone early while forcing seven turnovers en route to a 37-30 lead at the first-quarter break. Edwards didn’t attempt his first field goal until 35.1 seconds remained in the quarter. It was a sign of things to come as Edwards and Julius Randle faded with a chance to tie the series.

Minnesota kept in striking thanks to an offense that was effective when it wasn’t giving the ball away. The Timberwolves shot 51.2% from the field and 18-of-41 (43.9%) from 3.

Strong shooting from Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23 points, 5 of 8 from 3) and Donte DiVincenzo (21 points, 5 of 8 from 3) off the bench kept the Timberwolves in the game through the fourth quarter. But a resilient Thunder offense and 22 Timberwolves turnovers ultimately proved too much for Minnesota to overcome.

Thunder thwart multiple Minnesota runs

Minnesota faced multiple chances to take the lead in a game that Oklahoma City controlled throughout. A DiVincenzo 3 capped an 11-2 third-quarter run to tie the game at 79-79. But as they did each time the Timberwolves threatened, the Thunder responded, this time with an 8-0 run to re-seize control.

Minnesota threatened again late in the fourth quarter while closing the gap to 111-109. But the Thunder extended the lead back to 116-109 with a 5-0 burst capped by a Jalen Williams 3 on a pass by a falling Gilgeous-Alexander through the legs of Jaden McDaniels.

Then Gilgeous-Alexander scuttled Minnesota’s last gasp with five made free throws in the game’s final 14.5 seconds. The Thunder repeatedly denied the Timberwolves a look at a game-tying late 3-pointer by sending Minnesota to the free-throw line in a strategy that paid off.

Thunder stars shine

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren set the tone for Oklahoma City’s offense. Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 points each in the first quarter, and they combined for 36 points at the halftime break.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds alongside his 40 points. Williams tallied 34 points, five assists and three steals. Holmgren added 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as a two-way force while hitting several big buckets down the stretch.

It added up to a formidable effort from OKC’s stars that Minnesota’s top players failed to match.

Thunder lock down Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle

Edwards’ lack of activity on offense was not an accident.

OKC’s designated stopper and first-team All-Defensive team selection Luguentz Dort spearheaded the Thunder effort to limit Edwards’ looks that resulted in just two shot attempts and four points from Edwards before halftime. He was a non-factor on offense as Oklahoma City took early control of the game.

When the game was done, Edwards had attempted just 13 field goals while tallying 16 points and six assists. He shot 5 of 13 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3.

Randle was even less of a factor while posting five points and seven rebounds on a 1-of-7 night from the field. He missed all three of his 3-point attempts.

That led McDaniels to pick up on the slack as the starting unit’s leading scorer with 22 points. It was his and the effort of Minnesota’s bench that kept the game from being a runaway Thunder win.

Fans continue to taunt SGA with ‘free-throw merchant’ label

As usual, Gilgeous-Alexander did significant work at the free throw line while drawing repeated fouls from Minnesota defenders.

At one point after he drew a foul by Rudy Gobert, ESPN’s Doris Burke quipped, “This is why he’s called a free-throw merchant.”

Timberwolves fans, acutely aware of Gilgeous-Alexander’s penchant for drawing fouls, greeted him with chants of “free-throw merchant” when he was at the line.

In the end, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 of his 40 points at the free throw line. His 14 free throw attempts accounted for 2/3 of Oklahoma City’s 21 as a team. Fittingly, he closed the game by scoring Oklahoma City’s last five points at the stripe.

Big bounce-back from Game 3 dud

Oklahoma City got this far while posting some of the most dominant wins of the postseason, including a 51-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies and a 43-point win over the Denver Nuggets.

But after cruising to a 2-0 series lead over the Timberwolves, the Thunder were on the wrong end of a blowout in Minnesota’s stunning 42-point win Saturday night that marked the worst playoff loss in franchise history.

But that loss looks merely like a blip for a Thunder team that looked very much again Monday night like the best team in basketball.