Game Grades: OKC Thunder lose control in fourth quarter in loss to Timberwolves
By Ivan White
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s final In-Season Tournament game went as a couple of others have.
The Thunder suffered a crushing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-103 to finish 1-3 in the inaugural In-Season Tournament. While the Thunder could not win, they still played spoiler to the Timberwolves’ chances of moving on because of the point differential.
The OKC Thunder fell in a thriller to the top seed in the West.
While the Thunder and Timberwolves are unlikely to meet in the Western Conference Finals, they faced each other on Tuesday as the two best teams in the conference. Unsurprisingly, it came down to the final shot.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an opportunity to tie it up with a 3-pointer but could not get it to fall. Although the loss was not ideal, it was encouraging for the Thunder to bring back one of their top players.
Jalen Williams made his first appearance over a week after dealing with a hip injury. Williams helped the Thunder get out to an early lead and maintain that advantage for most of the game.
However, Minnesota took control in the fourth quarter but never led by more than five points. Troy Brown Jr. was the unsung hero for Minnesota late as he had some crucial buckets and a clutch free throw to help win it.