Minnesota Timberwolves Rookies Key in Bounce Back Win vs. OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered its tenth loss of the season at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday before the All-Star Break as the Timberwolves were powered in part by rookies Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham.

Feb 13, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) shoots against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves were reeling a bit, in a jumbled Western Conference standings with seeds No. 2-10 not separated by many games, the Timberwolves found themselves on a two-game skid entering Thursday's tilt with the OKC Thunder.

In the midst of that two game losing streak, the Timberwolves lost the Milwaukee Bucks in name only, Kyle Kuzma the only performer keeping the tagline of Bucks instead of Herd, Milwaukee's G League affiliate.

On Thursday, the Timberwolves entered the game as underdogs against the juggernaut Thunder who at the time had single digit losses a day away from the NBA All-Star Break. Minnesota was without four rotational members including Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley and looked like a team in need of a seven-day vacation.

The Timberwolves rallied though, pulling off a 116-101 win over the Thunder to drop Oklahoma City to 44-10, eight games up on the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies. Minnesota rose its record to 31-25 just a game away from avoiding the play-in tournament.

This win was made possible in part due to its rookie duo of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham, each making an impact off the bench for Minnesota.

Shannon Jr. turned in 13 points, six rebounds, an assist and was a +23 in the game while Dillingham added six points, five assists and three rebounds en route to a +18 performance in the box score.

The two rookies have started to earn more playing time and carving out an impactful role in their first season.

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