OKC Thunder look to get back their winning momentum against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gameday breaks down the match.
The OKC Thunder are coming off their greatest loss of the season and if they are to find a way to shake this off, there isn’t a better time than against the Timberwolves who are 12th in the West.
Both teams were struggling in the same areas during their losses on Saturday to the Lakers and Rockets. Minnesota was outscored after the first half 57-41 and shot 37.9 percent from the field while OKC was swept 73-49 after the same period.
Despite being 11th in the league for defensive rating, the Thunder were not as dedicated on the defensive end when they played the Lakers so they will need to fix this against Minnesota.
As they prepare to face each other for the second time this season, they have both won three of their last five games. The Timberwolves are staying strong even though they are without their main big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Timberwolves are capable of making the top eight but are looking for consistency and a big win over a strong side to prove this point even more. They got within two points in a loss to the first place Milwaukee Bucks on January 1st and have since gotten good victories over teams who should’ve beaten them.
OKC hold the edge but their early deficiencies will be tested. Everyone has seen how great this Thunder team are and after their recent loss, they will look to remind everyone why.
With that being said, here are the keys to the game.