Poor First Quarter Haunts OKC in Narrow Loss to Timberwolves
A poor first quarter stunted the Thunder down the stretch in a narrow 98-90 loss to Minnesota.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points to lead OKC in scoring, but he couldn’t do enough as the Thunder ended up falling short on the road.
The first quarter couldn’t have gone much worse for Oklahoma City. The Thunder scored a measly 10 points in the first while Minnesota exploded for 30 points to grab the early lead.
In the second quarter the Thunder were able to find an offensive groove, scoring 26 points and lowering the deficit at halftime. At half the Timberwolves led the Thunder 49-36.
To begin the third, the Thunder again kept clawing back into the game on the heels of star Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder outscored the Timberwolves 27-20 in the third.
The Thunder in the fourth couldn’t overcome another poor 3-point shooting night. The Thunder shot well under 30% from beyond the arch. The Timberwolves kept a strong offensive outing to stay ahead of OKC and the Thunder couldn’t overcome the poor first quarter.
Thunder rookie Josh Giddey followed up a string of impressive performances with another double-double notching 14 points and 15 rebounds. He also tallied a team-high six assists.
As for the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards led the way with 22 points, leading all scorers.
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