Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 32 in loss to Timberwolves

The Oklahoma City Thunder got their 2022-23 season underway in Minnesota on Wednesday, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the lineup for the first time this season after missing training camp and preseason with a grade 2 MCL sprain. Mark Daigneault rolled out a surprising starting lineup that featured the star guard with Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Kenrich Williams, and Aleksej Pokusevski to match up with the new-look Wolves led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.

The OKC Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA again, and the second youngest team in NBA history only to last year’s Thunder squad as OKC General Manager Sam Presti explained at Media Day. Being so young, the Thunder are going to struggle to close out games, and this was a prime example of that.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves despite a second-half rally and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropping 32 points

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a sluggish first half eventually falling behind by as many as 16 points, featuring six lead changes, the game being knotted up on five different occasions, and the Thunder holding a six-point lead at one time.

Despite all of this, and another 15-plus-point second-half comeback, the Thunder fell 115-108 as star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 32 points while shooting 52 percent from the floor, two blocks, three steals, five assists, and six rebounds in 36 minutes of work.

Josh Giddey contributed 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks while shooting 42 percent from the floor. The second-year guard was confident beyond the arc despite finishing 2-for-7 and flashed major defensive upside.

Perhaps the biggest story of the game is Aleksej Pokusevski. The third-year swingman who is still just 20 years old, the same age as the aforementioned Giddey, Pokusevski got the starting nod tonight and also closed the contest in a tight game down the stretch.

This was the first time the 20-year-old has closed a game that was within two possessions with under three minutes left in a game that felt like it matters, as though it had stakes. Sure, he faltered, but that is what this season is all about. Putting players in a position to learn and grow.

Overall, Aleksej Pokusevski had a solid game, if you could chop off the final five minutes. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three assists as well as a block on the defensive end.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to Denver for a Saturday matchup with the Nuggets before returning home on Sunday to take on these same Minnesota Timberwolves in the Thunder’s home opener at the Paycom Center in downtown Bricktown.