Thunder Trounced by Timberwolves in Mark Daigneault's Return
With Mark Daigneault returning to the sidelines, the Oklahoma City Thunder faltered to the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 135-105.
Following the conclusion of play, the Thunder hold a 13-25 record.
The first quarter saw both sides teeter between the lead. Following an opening 4-0 Thunder lead, 10 lead changes became the story of the frame as with a slew of altering strikes – the Timberwolves staked upon a 32-28 lead, headlined by 17 points from sophomore Anthony Edwards.
Back-and-forth strikes permeated into the second frame, however, a mid quarter 10-4 Minnesota run froze Oklahoma City into a double-digit deficit. The Timberwolves’ continued to bite at the Thunder as play progressed, hitting the halftime horn with a 73-57 lead off a 20-9 run.
Through two minutes, Minnesota snowballed their margin to 20 points, setting a new bar in the process. Though the Thunder rattled off multiple counterattacks, the Timberwolves overpowered the opposition, heading into the fourth up 103-80.
The Timberwolves’ prior lead proved to be too much for the Thunder, building the lead to 41 at its highest, and finishing the night with a 30-point victory.
Minnesota’s trifecta of stars headlined in the contest, as with three members posting major scoring outputs in D’Angelo Russell (27 points), Anthony Edwards (24 points), and Karl-Anthony Towns (19 points.)
Lu Dort stemmed a three-level palate on Friday, rounding out his 27 minutes with 18 points, three rebounds, and one assist. In the guard’s tenure, he tapped back to the perimeter for a 3-of-7 showing while also slithered to the line for a 5-of-6 clip.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leaned into his interior game versus the Timberwolves, pouring upon 12 points and six assists in 28 minutes. SGA struggled from distance going a blank 0-of-3, though the 23-year-old made some strides at the line drilling 4-of-5 attempts.
Following a dull return from health-and-safety, Tre Mann ramped up his play in Minnesota, dousing out 10 points in 21 minutes off of the bench. Mann’s passing ability was thrown on the back-burner Friday with two assists, though, he made up for it as a shot creator.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will continue their home-stand Sunday to take on the Denver Nuggets.
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