The excitement for Monday night’s game was palpable. This season’s final meeting between the top two clubs in the Western Conference standings would determine who will finish first.
It went down to the wire, as you could have imagined. There were no late-game issues for the Timberwolves this time. With less than 30 seconds left, Jaden McDaniels tipped in a missed floater by Nickeil Alexander-Walker to give Minnesota a 103-97 lead. The Wolves then made their final free throws to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-101 on Monday in Oklahoma City, securing sole possession of first place in the West.
With less than three minutes left in the game, McDaniels made a corner 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves a two-point lead. They were trailing 97-96 at the time. Following a failed 3-point attempt by Chet Holmgren, Anthony Edwards drove the lane and dunked with force to give Minnesota a 101-97 lead.
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After that, the Timberwolves (33–14) had total control. Mike Conley, who has been dealing with a hamstring strain lately, was once again sidelined for Minnesota. In the last five games, Minnesota has been without its starting point guard four times.
Jordan McLaughlin, who finished the game with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a few huge 3-pointers in the second half, and one assist, did give the Timberwolves a boost at point guard.
With 27 points, Anthony Edwards led Minnesota and, behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant, became the third player to reach 6,000 career points the fastest. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 10 rebounds and 21 points. 12 and 17 went to Rudy Gobert.
For the Thunder (32-15), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained a formidable presence, finishing with 37 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. He also made clutch baskets in the closing minutes to keep his team in the game.
Timberwolves remained atop the Western Conference rankings at the end of another day.
