The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 in game four to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder will have the chance to close out the series and advance to their first NBA Finals since 2012, as the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for game five on Wednesday night.
After a 42-point blowout loss in Game 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with 40 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. Jalen Williams (34 points) and Chet Holmgren (21 points) also stepped up for Oklahoma City, scoring 55 points combined.
The Thunder's defensive strategy shut down Anthony Edwards in game four. Edwards scored 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting, marking the second-fewest points scored in a game by the Timberwolves star this postseason and the fewest in a playoff loss. Oklahoma City also had a great game plan for Rudy Gobert, as they held him to 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting.
Timberwolves lose despite winning in every statistical category
Despite the struggles from Gobert and Edwards, the Timberwolves outperformed the Thunder in every statistical category in the game, including rebounds, assists, and points off turnovers. The Timberwolves bench kept them in the game as they scored 64 bench points compared to the 27 scored by Oklahoma City
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench for Minnesota, and Donte DiVincenzo added 21. The difference in the game for the Thunder was their ability to make free throws down the stretch, even though the Timberwolves were more consistent from the free-throw line in the game.
The Timberwolves will need better performances from Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert in game five and similar contributions from their bench if they want to force a Game 6. Minnesota lost by double-digits in both games in Oklahoma City to start the series.