Game ID: 22400452
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 21 25 43 24 113MIN 24 28 23 30 105
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 12/23 · 2 days' restOUT Holmgren missed 17 since 11/11, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Holmgren missed 18 since 11/11, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 19 since 11/11, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 12/29 · back-to-backOUT Holmgren missed 20 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 21 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
NEW Mitchell 14 to 21 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 22 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
NEW Mitchell 14 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Holmgren missed 23 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
NEW Mitchell 14 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 24 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 6 since 12/26, out tonight
NEW Mitchell 14 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Holmgren missed 25 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 7 since 12/26, out tonight
NEW Mitchell 14 to 19 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 11 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 11 min since (109% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 12 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 9 min since (86% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 13 since 11/26, out tonight
MIN availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 14 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
MIN availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 15 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 3 since 12/25, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 16 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 4 since 12/25, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/04 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 17 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 5 since 12/25, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/06 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 18 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 6 since 12/25, out tonight
NEW DiVincenzo 26 to 31 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 1/07 · back-to-backOUT Clark missed 19 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 7 since 12/25, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holmgren (21 straight), Caruso (3 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Randle at 20 and Edwards at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 37 percent from three to OKC's 32 and the defense, OKC allowing 103 a night to Minnesota's 110. Call it OKC 114, Minnesota 104, OKC by 10.
12/23 vs WAS 123-105 — OKC notes
OKC won 123-105. OKC shot 44% (47 of 106) to WAS's 40%, 10 of 38 from three. OKC turned it over 12 times to WAS's 19. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 41 (14 of 25, 3 of 6 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Jal. Williams added 17, Hartenstein 16. The hinge was Q4, 32-18: a lead of 4 became 18, and the lead reached 21. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
12/26 @ IND 120-114 — OKC notes
OKC won 120-114. OKC shot 46% (44 of 95) to IND's 47%, 13 of 37 from three. OKC turned it over 3 times to IND's 11. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 45 (15 of 22, 4 of 5 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Dort 13. The hinge was Q3, 30-23: the deficit went from 8 to 1. OKC trailed 53-61 at the half and won the second half 67-53. K. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/28 @ CHA 106-94 — OKC notes
OKC won 106-94. OKC shot 48% (42 of 88) to CHA's 36%, 10 of 38 from three, and got to the line 14 times to CHA's 28. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 22 (8 of 15, 1 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Wiggins 17. The hinge was Q2, 33-24: a lead of 6 became 15, and the lead reached 20. Wiggins was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
12/29 vs MEM 130-106 — OKC notes
OKC won 130-106. OKC shot 50% (52 of 103) to MEM's 38%, 14 of 44 from three, and got to the line 12 times to MEM's 21. OKC turned it over 10 times to MEM's 21. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 35 (14 of 19, 1 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Mitchell added 17, Wiggins 16. The hinge was Q2, 42-19: a lead of 3 became 26, and the lead reached 31. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/31 vs MIN 113-105 — OKC notes
OKC won 113-105. OKC shot 47% (42 of 89) to MIN's 49%, 12 of 36 from three, and went to the line 23 times to MIN's 12 — 17 points from the stripe to their 12. OKC turned it over 9 times to MIN's 23. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 40 (15 of 23, 3 of 5 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Hartenstein added 15, Jal. Williams 14. The hinge was Q3, 43-23: OKC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 14. OKC trailed 46-52 at the half and won the second half 67-53. Joe was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/02 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 37 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holmgren (22 straight), Caruso (4 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 22 free throws a game; Powell at 27 and Harden at 20 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Mann (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 10 and the glass, where OKC has been minus-1 a night and the Clippers minus-5. Call it OKC 114, the Clippers 104, OKC by 10.
1/03 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Holmgren (23 straight), Caruso (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 30 and Towns at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-5 and the line, where New York takes 25 free throws a game to OKC's 19. Call it OKC 113, New York 111, New York keeping it close.
1/05 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holmgren (24 straight), Caruso (6 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 100, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 17 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Brown (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 41 percent from three to OKC's 35 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-1 a night and OKC minus-4. Call it OKC 112, Boston 111, Boston keeping it close.
1/08 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 23 and Garland at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Merrill (2 straight), Okoro (8 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 15 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Holmgren (25 straight), Caruso (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 102 a night to Cleveland's 113. Call it Cleveland 115, OKC 112, OKC keeping it close.
12/23 @ ATL 104-117 — MIN notes
MIN lost 104-117. MIN took 18 more shots (91 to 73), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to ATL's 53%, 14 of 43 from three, and got to the line 13 times to ATL's 26. Reid led with 23 (10 of 19, 3 of 10 from three); Randle added 19, Edwards 16. Q2 was theirs, 36-17, turning a 16-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 100-68 against them. Edwards's -23 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/25 @ DAL 105-99 — MIN notes
MIN won 105-99. MIN shot 47% (40 of 86) to DAL's 41%, 14 of 32 from three. Edwards led with 26 (11 of 24, 4 of 7 from three); Randle added 23, Gobert 14. The hinge was Q2, 31-16: a lead of 2 became 17, and the lead reached 28.
12/27 @ HOU 113-112 — MIN notes
MIN won 113-112. MIN shot 51% (42 of 83) to HOU's 49%, 21 of 43 from three. Randle led with 27 (10 of 16, 5 of 6 from three); Edwards added 24, DiVincenzo 22. The hinge was Q4, 37-28: MIN came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 1. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/29 vs SAS 112-110 — MIN notes
MIN won 112-110. MIN shot 43% (43 of 100) to SAS's 44%, 11 of 44 from three, and got to the line 19 times to SAS's 28. The glass went 56-41 for them. DiVincenzo led with 26 (8 of 15, 5 of 10 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Gobert added 17, Randle 16. The hinge was Q2, 32-12: MIN came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 16. DiVincenzo was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/31 @ OKC 105-113 — MIN notes
MIN lost 105-113. MIN shot 49% (39 of 79) to OKC's 47%, 15 of 38 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 18 fouls committed. MIN turned it over 23 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 16 steals. Edwards led with 20 (6 of 12, 4 of 7 from three); Reid added 19, Conley 16. Q4 was theirs, 30-24, the deficit cut from 14 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 89-75 against them. They led by as many as 12. Alexander-Walker's -12 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/02 vs BOS — 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 110, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 15 free throws a game; Edwards at 20 and Randle at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Porziņģis (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Boston takes 21 free throws a game to Minnesota's 15 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 16 times a game to Boston's 12. Call it Boston 113, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/04 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Cunningham at 21 and Ivey at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Fontecchio (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 16 free throws a game; Randle at 21 and Edwards at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 42 percent from three to Detroit's 36. Call it Detroit 111, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/06 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Randle at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Powell at 20 and Harden at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 41 percent from three to the Clippers' 33. Call it Minnesota 110, the Clippers 109, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/07 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; McCollum at 32 and Murphy III at 25 a game. Without Williamson (27 straight), Green (2 straight), Payton (14 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Edwards at 28 and Reid at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-5 a night and New Orleans minus-3 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 16 times a game to New Orleans's 12. Call it New Orleans 114, Minnesota 111, Minnesota keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAM A. Mitchell
AW A. Wiggins
CW C. Wallace
IH I. Hartenstein
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
MINAE A. Edwards
DD D. DiVincenzo
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
JR J. Randle
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
OKC/MIN 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
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 to lead Thunder past Timberwolves 113-105
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to win their seventh straight game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-105 on Tuesday night.
Isaiah Hartenstein added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Lu Dort and Jalen Williams each had 14 points for the Thunder (27-5), which trailed 52-46 at halftime before outscoring Minnesota 43-23 in the third quarter to take a double-digit lead.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead Minnesota (17-15). His two free throws with 2:03 left cut the Thunder lead to 106-103, but Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a 3-pointer to reach the 40-point plateau for the third time in five games and extend the lead to 109-103.
Naz Reid scored 19 points, and Mike Conley added 16 for the Timberwolves, who had won three in a row.
Takeaways Timberwolves: Minnesota was in control until the second half, when the Timberwolves withered under Oklahoma City's pressure defense and blew a 12-point lead in the third quarter.
Thunder: Defense and Gilgeous-Alexander's playmaking ability kept Oklahoma City in the game until his teammates found their shooting touch in the second half.
Key moment Minnesota got three consecutive 3-pointers from Mike Conley to build a 65-53 lead with 8:30 left in the third quarter. But Oklahoma City went on a 36-10 run and ended the quarter with a 89-75 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 19 points in the quarter.
Key stat Oklahoma City forced 24 turnovers, including 16 steals. The majority came in the second half when the Thunder clawed their way back into the game.
Up next The Timberwolves host Boston, and the Thunder host the Clippers on Thursday night.