Game ID: 22300664
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, January 29, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 28 19 30 24 101MIN 29 20 24 34 107
MIN @ OKC ScoutingMIN @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 1/23 · 2 days' restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/24 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 5 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/29 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 6 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 7 since 1/18, returns tonight: 9 min (85% of 10)
OKC availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 9 min since (85% of 10)
OKC availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Joe missed 2 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 14 min since (142% of 10)
OKC availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 3 since 1/31, returns tonight: 35 min (110% of 32)
OUT Joe missed 3 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 12 min since (123% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 24 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Milton missed 2 since 1/18, returns tonight: 15 min (115% of 13)
OUT Brown Jr. missed 2 since 1/18, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Brown Jr. missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Milton back 1/22 after 2, 15 min since (115% of 13)
MIN availability going into 1/25 · back-to-backOUT Conley missed 2 since 1/22, returns tonight: 33 min (111% of 29)
OUT Brown Jr. missed 4 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Milton back 1/22 after 2, 17 min since (129% of 13)
MIN availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restOUT Brown Jr. missed 5 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Conley back 1/25 after 2, 33 min since (111% of 29)
BACK Milton back 1/22 after 2, 17 min since (129% of 13)
MIN availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Brown Jr. missed 6 since 1/18, returns tonight: 6 min (56% of 11)
BACK Conley back 1/25 after 2, 33 min since (111% of 29)
BACK Milton back 1/22 after 2, 17 min since (128% of 13)
MIN availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Conley missed 2 since 1/27, returns tonight: 25 min (86% of 29)
BACK Milton back 1/22 after 2, 17 min since (128% of 13)
BACK Brown Jr. back 1/29 after 6, 6 min since (56% of 11)
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 29 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restBACK Conley back 1/25 after 2, 29 min since (99% of 29)
BACK Brown Jr. back 1/29 after 6, 6 min since (55% of 11)
MIN availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restBACK Conley back 1/25 after 2, 29 min since (98% of 29)
BACK Brown Jr. back 1/29 after 6, 6 min since (55% of 11)
MIN availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restBACK Conley back 1/31 after 2, 26 min since (89% of 29)
BACK Brown Jr. back 1/29 after 6, 6 min since (50% of 11)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Towns at 31 and Edwards at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 41 percent from three to OKC's 34 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-3. Call it OKC 113, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/23 vs POR 111-109 — OKC notes
OKC won 111-109. OKC shot 48% (43 of 89) to POR's 43%, 7 of 23 from three, and went to the line 28 times to POR's 21 — 18 points from the stripe to their 17. OKC turned it over 12 times to POR's 19. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (10 of 24, 0 of 3 from three, 13 of 17 at the line); Jal. Williams added 19, Wiggins 13. The hinge was Q1, 38-28: from level to 10 ahead. OKC trailed 58-66 at the half and won the second half 53-43. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/24 @ SAS 140-114 — OKC notes
OKC won 140-114. OKC shot 56% (54 of 96) to SAS's 50%, 18 of 40 from three, and got to the line 16 times to SAS's 25. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (9 of 15, 12 of 12 at the line); Wiggins added 22, Holmgren 17. The hinge was Q3, 37-24: a lead of 11 became 24, and the lead reached 32. K. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/26 @ NOP 107-83 — OKC notes
OKC won 107-83. OKC shot 48% (42 of 88) to NOP's 39%, 10 of 33 from three. OKC turned it over 11 times to NOP's 20. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (10 of 21, 3 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 20, Jal. Williams 15. The hinge was Q2, 28-17: OKC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 26. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/28 @ DET 104-120 — OKC notes
OKC lost 104-120. OKC shot 48% (44 of 92) to DET's 49%, 8 of 28 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 43-53 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (13 of 20); Jal. Williams added 20, Giddey 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-24, but the other 3 periods went 96-73 against them. They led by as many as 10. Holmgren's -20 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 vs MIN 101-107 — OKC notes
OKC lost 101-107. OKC shot 44% (35 of 79) to MIN's 48%, 14 of 35 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MIN's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 13. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 37 (10 of 18, 2 of 3 from three, 15 of 16 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Giddey 13. Q3 was theirs, 30-24, turning a 2-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 83-71 against them. Giddey's -17 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/31 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-1 and the arc, OKC at 36 percent from three to Denver's 30. Call it OKC 115, Denver 109.
2/02 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Bridges at 23 and Washington at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 105 a night to Charlotte's 123 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-7. Call it OKC 120, Charlotte 107, OKC by 13.
2/04 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. Without Jal. Williams (2 straight), Joe (2 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Barnes at 22 and Trent Jr. at 14 a game. Without Barrett (3 straight), Freeman-Liberty (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 103 a night to Toronto's 121 and the turnovers, Toronto giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 118, Toronto 109.
2/06 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Markkanen at 22 and Sexton at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Hendricks (11 straight), Horton-Tucker (3 straight), Juzang (25 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 14 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (3 straight), Joe (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 112 a night to Utah's 124 and the glass, where Utah has been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-1. Call it OKC 118, Utah 117, Utah keeping it close.
1/22 vs CHA 125-128 — MIN notes
MIN lost 125-128. MIN shot 52% (44 of 84) to CHA's 57%, 18 of 41 from three, and went to the line 25 times to CHA's 18 — 19 points from the stripe to their 14. Towns led with 62 (21 of 35, 10 of 15 from three, 10 of 14 at the line); Alexander-Walker added 18, Gobert 13. Q3 was theirs, 38-28, but the other 3 periods went 100-87 against them. They led by as many as 18.
1/24 @ WAS 118-107 — MIN notes
MIN won 118-107. MIN shot 42% (42 of 100) to WAS's 48%, 9 of 32 from three. MIN turned it over 7 times to WAS's 21. Edwards led with 38 (11 of 28, 3 of 10 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Towns added 27, Gobert 19. The hinge was Q3, 33-19: MIN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 12. MIN trailed 57-59 at the half and won the second half 61-48. Towns was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
1/25 @ BKN 96-94 — MIN notes
MIN won 96-94. MIN shot 49% (37 of 75) to BKN's 45%, 10 of 21 from three. Towns led with 27 (12 of 15, 2 of 3 from three); Edwards added 24, Gobert 10. The hinge was Q2, 36-17: MIN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 17. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
1/27 @ SAS 112-113 — MIN notes
MIN lost 112-113. MIN shot 57% (45 of 79) to SAS's 55%, 14 of 26 from three. Edwards led with 32 (12 of 18, 6 of 8 from three); Gobert added 19, Towns 19. Q1 was theirs, 36-23, but the other 3 periods went 90-76 against them. They led by as many as 15.
1/29 @ OKC 107-101 — MIN notes
MIN won 107-101. MIN shot 48% (40 of 83) to OKC's 44%, 14 of 29 from three, and got to the line 15 times to OKC's 22. Edwards led with 27 (10 of 20, 3 of 5 from three); Towns added 21, McDaniels 14. The hinge was Q4, 34-24: MIN came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 6.
1/31 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 20 free throws a game; Towns at 31 and Edwards at 26 a game. Without Conley (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 129, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 43 and Hardaway Jr. at 21 a game. Without Irving (4 straight), Jones Jr. (2 straight), Exum (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 109 a night to Dallas's 129 and the line, where Dallas takes 25 free throws a game to Minnesota's 20. Call it Minnesota 119, Dallas 113.
2/02 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 100, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Towns at 25 a game. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 27 free throws a game; Banchero at 26 and F. Wagner at 17 a game. Without Gar. Harris (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 100 a night to Orlando's 112 and the arc, Minnesota at 43 percent from three to Orlando's 36. Call it Minnesota 113, Orlando 106.
2/04 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 101, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 19 free throws a game; Towns at 23 and Edwards at 23 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 27 and Whitmore at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 44 percent from three to Houston's 33 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 101 a night to Houston's 109. Call it Minnesota 112, Houston 110, Houston keeping it close.
2/06 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 23 and White at 23 a game. Without Williams (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 100, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 24 and Towns at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 100 a night to Chicago's 118 and the arc, Minnesota at 42 percent from three to Chicago's 32. Call it Minnesota 113, Chicago 109, Chicago keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
TB T. Brown Jr.
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
MIN/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Edwards scores 27 as Timberwolves top Thunder 107-101 in a matchup of Western Conference leaders
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Anthony Edwards scored 27 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-101 on Monday in a matchup of teams that entered the night tied atop the Western Conference standings.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called this one an “elevated game” for its intensity. There were 24 lead changes and six ties.
“I think it was a great game,” Edwards said. “Great effort by both teams. Great job by both coaches. I feel like we just made more plays down the stretch.”
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which had lost three of five.
Edwards did his damage on 10-for-20 shooting.
“Anthony did a really good job with picking his spots, trusting his teammates, playing clean and quick, getting downhill, putting the pressure on them," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and Jalen Williams added 20 for the Thunder, who lost their second straight after a five-game win streak.
The teams split four meetings this season.
“It’s why we play the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You play to play the best teams in the league. You wake up for games like that. You really get to test yourself and see where you are. It was a dogfight tonight.”
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren , one of the NBA's top rookies, finished with just four points on 2-for-9 shooting in 32 minutes.
“We did a good job of defending him and just made him take tough shots, and I could see it for him, you know, he was trying to get his teammates open, so he was just playing team basketball," Towns said.
The Thunder led 97-96 with 2:43 remaining before Minnesota took control. A two-handed dunk by Edwards down the middle of the lane in traffic put the Timberwolves up 101-97, and Minnesota led by at least four the rest of the way.
The Timberwolves won despite point guard Mike Conley sitting out his second straight game with a sore left hamstring.
“We really did a good job of finishing this game, which we haven’t been doing," Finch said. "So hopefully it’s a good step and we can build on that part of it.”
Minnesota led 49-47 at halftime behind 13 points apiece from Edwards and Towns.
Edwards hit a 3-pointer two minutes into the second half to put the Timberwolves up 56-47.
The Thunder rallied, and a dunk by Williams gave them a 63-62 edge midway through the third quarter. Williams' 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the third put Oklahoma City up 77-73. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the period.
In the end, the young Thunder, with many players still adjusting to the length of the season, struggled on the second night of a back-to-back and their third game in four days.
“It’s hard just getting adjusted to," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Now, with that being said, the NBA doesn’t care. Your opponents don’t care. Nobody cares. You’ve got to fight through it and get it done.”
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Thunder: Host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.