Edwards scores 27 as Timberwolves top Thunder 107-101 in a matchup of Western Conference leaders
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Anthony Edwards scored 27 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-101 on Monday in a matchup of teams that entered the night tied atop the Western Conference standings.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called this one an “elevated game” for its intensity. There were 24 lead changes and six ties.
“I think it was a great game,” Edwards said. “Great effort by both teams. Great job by both coaches. I feel like we just made more plays down the stretch.”
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which had lost three of five.
Edwards did his damage on 10-for-20 shooting.
“Anthony did a really good job with picking his spots, trusting his teammates, playing clean and quick, getting downhill, putting the pressure on them," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and Jalen Williams added 20 for the Thunder, who lost their second straight after a five-game win streak.
The teams split four meetings this season.
“It’s why we play the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You play to play the best teams in the league. You wake up for games like that. You really get to test yourself and see where you are. It was a dogfight tonight.”
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren, one of the NBA's top rookies, finished with just four points on 2-for-9 shooting in 32 minutes.
“We did a good job of defending him and just made him take tough shots, and I could see it for him, you know, he was trying to get his teammates open, so he was just playing team basketball," Towns said.
The Thunder led 97-96 with 2:43 remaining before Minnesota took control. A two-handed dunk by Edwards down the middle of the lane in traffic put the Timberwolves up 101-97, and Minnesota led by at least four the rest of the way.
The Timberwolves won despite point guard Mike Conley sitting out his second straight game with a sore left hamstring.
“We really did a good job of finishing this game, which we haven’t been doing," Finch said. "So hopefully it’s a good step and we can build on that part of it.”
Minnesota led 49-47 at halftime behind 13 points apiece from Edwards and Towns.
Edwards hit a 3-pointer two minutes into the second half to put the Timberwolves up 56-47.
The Thunder rallied, and a dunk by Williams gave them a 63-62 edge midway through the third quarter. Williams' 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the third put Oklahoma City up 77-73. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the period.
In the end, the young Thunder, with many players still adjusting to the length of the season, struggled on the second night of a back-to-back and their third game in four days.
“It’s hard just getting adjusted to," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Now, with that being said, the NBA doesn’t care. Your opponents don’t care. Nobody cares. You’ve got to fight through it and get it done.”
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Thunder: Host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Rudy Gobert vs. Chet Holmgren (Karl-Anthony Towns gains possession) | ||
| 11:45 |  | Chet Holmgren blocks Karl-Anthony Towns's two point layup | ||
| 11:42 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensive rebound | ||
| 11:33 | | Jalen Williams turnover (bad pass) (Nickeil Alexander-Walker steals) | ||
| 11:24 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point layup (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 2-0 |
| 10:58 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point driving reverse layup (Josh Giddey assists) | 2-2 |
| 10:40 | | Luguentz Dort personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 10:34 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:32 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker shooting foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 10:28 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 2-3 |
| 10:28 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 10:26 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:12 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:08 | | Chet Holmgren defensive rebound | ||
| 10:00 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point driving finger roll layup | 2-5 |
| 9:39 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:36 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 9:26 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point driving finger roll layup | 2-7 |
| 9:13 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:10 | | Luguentz Dort defensive rebound | ||
| 9:04 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point running alley-oop layup (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 2-9 |
| 8:44 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point pullup jump shot (Rudy Gobert assists) | 4-9 |
| 8:21 | | Chet Holmgren misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 8:18 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 8:02 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point pullup jump shot | 6-9 |
| 7:45 | | +3 | Josh Giddey makes three point jump shot (Chet Holmgren assists) | 6-12 |
| 7:29 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point driving floating jump shot | 8-12 |
| 7:14 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point cutting layup (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 8-14 |
| 6:59 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 10-14 |
| 6:46 | | Chet Holmgren misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 6:41 | | Josh Giddey personal foul (Nickeil Alexander-Walker draws the foul) | ||
| 6:41 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:32 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 6:31 | | Jaden McDaniels offensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point tip layup | 12-14 |
| 6:11 | | +3 | Josh Giddey makes three point pullup jump shot (Luguentz Dort assists) | 12-17 |
| 5:55 | | +3 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 15-17 |
| 5:39 | | +3 | Josh Giddey makes three point jump shot (Jalen Williams assists) | 15-20 |
| 5:26 | | Jalen Williams shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 5:26 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-20 |
| 5:26 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-20 |
| 5:12 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point driving finger roll layup | 17-22 |
| 4:56 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 20-22 |
| 4:30 | | Kenrich Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:26 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 4:19 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 23-22 |
| 4:05 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:02 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 3:49 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (lost ball) (Kenrich Williams steals) | ||
| 3:46 | | Karl-Anthony Towns blocks Kenrich Williams's two point running layup | ||
| 3:45 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 3:40 | | Jaden McDaniels misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:38 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 3:30 | | Kyle Anderson personal foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 3:23 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turnover (lost ball) (Jaden McDaniels steals) | ||
| 3:20 | | Naz Reid misses two point running layup | ||
| 3:18 | | Jaden McDaniels offensive rebound | ||
| 3:18 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point tip layup | ||
| 3:16 | | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 3:05 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 3:03 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 2:58 | | Jaylin Williams blocks Kyle Anderson's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:55 | | Kyle Anderson offensive rebound | ||
| 2:52 | | Naz Reid misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:50 | | Luguentz Dort defensive rebound | ||
| 2:44 | | Kyle Anderson shooting foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 2:44 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:44 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-23 |
| 2:44 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-24 |
| 2:26 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 2:19 | | Jordan McLaughlin shooting foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 2:19 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-25 |
| 2:19 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-26 |
| 1:57 | | Naz Reid misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 1:53 | | Chet Holmgren defensive rebound | ||
| 1:43 | | +2 | Chet Holmgren makes two point pullup jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 23-28 |
| 1:24 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point turnaround hook shot | 25-28 |
| 1:13 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:10 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:59 | | Luguentz Dort personal foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 0:50 | | +2 | Jordan McLaughlin makes two point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 27-28 |
| 0:33 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 0:27 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:18 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 0:18 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-28 |
| 0:18 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-28 |
| 0:02 | | Chet Holmgren misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:02 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:37 | | Vasilije Micic turnover (traveling) | ||
| 11:22 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 11:17 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | +3 | Jalen Williams makes three point running pullup jump shot | 29-31 |
| 11:00 | | Cason Wallace personal foul (Jaden McDaniels draws the foul) | ||
| 10:51 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:48 | | Vasilije Micic defensive rebound | ||
| 10:44 | | Jalen Williams misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 10:37 | | Jordan McLaughlin turnover (bad pass) (Aaron Wiggins steals) | ||
| 10:36 | | Jordan McLaughlin personal foul (Aaron Wiggins draws the foul) | ||
| 10:20 | | Jalen Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:18 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 10:02 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving finger roll layup | 31-31 |
| 9:55 | | +2 | Jaylin Williams makes two point driving layup (Aaron Wiggins assists) | 31-33 |
| 9:55 | | Jordan McLaughlin shooting foul (Jaylin Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 9:55 | | Jaylin Williams misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 9:52 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 9:40 | | Cason Wallace shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 9:40 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:40 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 9:40 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 32-33 |
| 9:24 | | Vasilije Micic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:21 | | Aaron Wiggins offensive rebound | ||
| 9:21 | | +2 | Aaron Wiggins makes two point tip layup | 32-35 |
| 8:55 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:55 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 8:51 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point putback layup | 34-35 |
| 8:35 | | Jaylin Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:32 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Troy Brown Jr. misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 8:12 | | Cason Wallace blocks Nickeil Alexander-Walker's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:10 | | Aaron Wiggins defensive rebound | ||
| 8:08 | | Aaron Wiggins turnover (bad pass) (Rudy Gobert steals) | ||
| 7:59 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point running jump shot (Jaden McDaniels assists) | 37-35 |
| 7:59 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:40 | | Isaiah Joe turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 7:24 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 7:24 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:12 | | Chet Holmgren misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 7:07 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 7:00 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:58 | | Isaiah Joe defensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | Jalen Williams misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:39 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 6:24 | | Aaron Wiggins defensive rebound | ||
| 6:06 | | Chet Holmgren misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:04 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 5:49 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point alley-oop layup (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 39-35 |
| 5:32 | | +3 | Cason Wallace makes three point pullup jump shot (Jalen Williams assists) | 39-38 |
| 5:09 | | Cason Wallace shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 5:09 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-38 |
| 5:09 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 41-38 |
| 5:04 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:01 | | Isaiah Joe offensive rebound | ||
| 5:01 | | Troy Brown Jr. personal foul (Isaiah Joe draws the foul) | ||
| 4:55 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:52 | | Isaiah Joe offensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:46 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 4:30 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:26 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 4:17 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turnover (lost ball) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 4:13 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:51 | | Josh Giddey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:48 | | Josh Giddey offensive rebound | ||
| 3:47 | | +2 | Josh Giddey makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 41-40 |
| 3:43 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:29 | | Josh Giddey blocks Nickeil Alexander-Walker's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:28 | | Thunder defensive rebound | ||
| 3:11 | | +3 | Isaiah Joe makes three point jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 41-43 |
| 2:48 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point jump shot (Naz Reid assists) | 44-43 |
| 2:35 | | Josh Giddey misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 2:31 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 2:27 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point running finger roll layup | 46-43 |
| 2:12 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point pullup jump shot | 46-45 |
| 1:55 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander personal foul (Naz Reid draws the foul) | ||
| 1:48 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 49-45 |
| 1:30 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 1:26 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (offensive goaltending) | ||
| 1:09 | | Josh Giddey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:07 | | Chet Holmgren offensive rebound | ||
| 1:03 | | Anthony Edwards shooting foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 1:03 | | Jalen Williams misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:03 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 1:03 | | Jalen Williams misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 1:01 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:42 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point cutting dunk | ||
| 0:40 | | Chet Holmgren defensive rebound | ||
| 0:33 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Luguentz Dort draws the foul) | ||
| 0:33 | | +1 | Luguentz Dort makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 49-46 |
| 0:33 | | +1 | Luguentz Dort makes regular free throw 2 of 2 |