OKC Thunder Grind Out Win vs. Timberwolves Despite 3-Point Woes

Oklahoma City secured its 10th straight win, but it had to overcome some lackluster shooting to get there.

The Thunder came into Wednesday night in the driver’s seat in West Group A, but the path to the knockout round appeared to be getting a bit more complicated against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Eventually, the Thunder grinded out a 113-105 win in their first Western Conference Finals rematch of the season, but nothing about the matchup was easy.

Throughout the season, the Thunder’s shooting has been quite streaky, and that was on full display against Minnesota. While making only 26.9% of their threes could cause problems already, taking only 26 shots from beyond the arc put the Thunder at a further disadvantage.

While a 7-of-26 night from three is difficult to overcome on most nights already, a blistering 8-of-12 performance from deep by Minnesota in the fourth quarter alone made things even more improbable for the Thunder. The Thunder’s seven makes narrowly eclipsed their season-low of six, and their 26 attempts also marked the second-fewest of the early season.

Taking 54 shots from inside the arc, it was also just the third time this season the Thunder had taken at least twice as many twos as they did threes. Add in 38 free-throw attempts, and the Thunder were clearly ran off the perimeter all night.

Nov 26, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) shoots a three point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

While Minnesota’s strategy worked in its favor, putting up 11 more threes and making 10 more than Oklahoma City, it also showed how difficult it is to beat the defending champions. Not only were the Thunder struggling from beyond the arc, but they also missed their fair share of shots inside, with Rudy Gobert’s presence being felt at the rim.

Although the 3-point battle swung heavily in Minnesota’s favor, the Thunder overcame that in other areas. The Thunder won the turnover battle 14-7, and the Timberwolves left a plethora of points at the line, shooting just 22-of-37 on free throws.

It was far from a good offensive night for the Thunder, but reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40-point performance was just enough to get his team over the hump. And, fittingly, on a night where the Thunder struggled from deep and Chet Holmgren never found a rhythm, it was the big man’s 3-pointer with under a minute to go that iced the game for Oklahoma City.

As they have for so long, the Thunder simply found a way to win and are now a victory against the Phoenix Suns on Friday away from securing another home game and advancing to the NBA Cup quarterfinals.