Five takeaways from the Thunder’s buzzer-beating loss to Timberwolves

An Andrew Wiggins 35-foot bank shot overshadowed a fantastic fourth quarter for the OKC Thunder.

Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves showed both sides of the newly-formed Oklahoma City Thunder. The starting lineup struggled to find fluidity on both ends of the court for most of the game, leading to a 13-point Timberwolves advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Because of Russell Westbrook, what looked like a second straight double-digit loss became a game in a matter of minutes. The reigning League MVP dropped 15 points on 6-9 shooting (3-5 from deep) to bring OKC back. Down two with ten seconds left, having made six of his last seven shots, Westbrook opted to pass the ball to Carmelo Anthony.

Who cares if Andrew Wiggins threw up a prayer and hit a lucky bank shot buzzer-beater? Sometimes shots fall, sometimes they don’t. That’s basketball. The fact this team looked so bad for three quarters, then turned it around in the fourth to almost sneak out with a win, is fantastic.

It hurts being under .500. But we’re also only three games into the season. These early losses may be better for OKC in the long-run, simply because they have concrete evidence of what NOT to do. Today’s five takeaways only solidifies that idea.