Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a dominant performance with 37 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-123 on Sunday night.
Oklahoma City (46-10) maintained its lead atop the Western Conference with the victory, extending its impressive run to 24 wins in the last 25 days. Minnesota (31-27) fought back from a 19-point deficit but could not hold off a late Thunder surge.
Chet Holmgren contributed 19 points, and the Thunder connected on a season-best 54% from beyond the arc, hitting 19 of their 35 attempts. Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso provided crucial production off the bench, with Caruso draining three 3-pointers and recording a key steal in the fourth quarter.
Anthony Edwards paced the Timberwolves with 29 points and 10 rebounds, but Minnesota struggled from deep early, missing 11 of its first 12 three-point attempts. Despite being short-handed without Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, the Timberwolves rallied with a 25-4 second-quarter run to briefly take control.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer put Minnesota ahead 110-105 in the fourth quarter, but Gilgeous-Alexander responded by leading an 18-4 Thunder run over the next five minutes. Oklahoma City never trailed again, securing the win in the first game of a home-and-home series.
Jaylen Clark, making his second career start, exited in the third quarter after hitting his head on the floor following an off-balance layup. He was ruled out with neck pain, adding to Minnesota’s injury concerns.
The teams will meet again Monday night in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder will look to complete the sweep.
