The OKC Thunder fall (yet again) to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the back of Andrew Wiggins (yet a-freaking-gain). More importantly, Nerlens Noel took a nasty fall in the third quarter.
In a game that seemed within grasp, the OKC Thunder had absolutely no answer for Andrew Wiggins and at times Karl Anthony Towns.
Wiggins hit big shot after big shot from the jump. He ended up with 40 points (on 11 of 24 shots, 2-4 from deep, 16!!! for 18!!! from the free throw line), 10 rebounds and four assists.
After picking up a few cheapie fouls, Karl Anthony Towns went out of the game and ended the first with zero points. He started the second quarter and ended the first half with 10 points and finished the game with 20 points and nine rebounds.
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The “Big Three” for OKC had solid games:
Paul George – 27 points, nine rebounds
Steven Adams – 20 points (on eight of nine shooting), 12 boards
Russell Westbrook – 25 points, 16 assists, 5 boards in a team-high 39 minutes
OKC also got a solid contribution from a role player, Terrance Ferguson (14 points, four of four from deep). One role player that made an impact early was Nerlens Noel (six points in six minutes).
Then in the third quarter, Wiggins attacked the basket. He led with his left elbow and caught Noel in his face. In a daze, Noel fell to the floor and slammed his face off the hardwood. And, naturally, it was a foul on Nerlens.
As of the time of this writing, we have no reporting as to what the analysis is of his injury.
The OKC Thunder would have an opportunity (actually four) to win this one but came up just short.
My name is Matthew Mullins (Matty Mulls), and on behalf of the Topic: Thunder Podcast, I will take you inside the loss by OKC tonight
Opening Remarks – 00:30
Hook Up the TiVo – 03:07
Player of the Game – 25:27
Closing Remarks – 27:06
Topic: Thunder can be found, as always by searching for “OKC Topic Thunder” on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere else you get your podcasts. Or you can just play the audio above.
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