WASHINGTON
Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed Oklahoma City 143-101 on Saturday to tighten their NBA playoff series. Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the host T-Wolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.
“I was super happy about the physicality and energy we brought,” Edwards said. “Being down 2-0, it’s all about bringing energy and we brought high energy.” Julius Randle added 24 points for Minnesota, which set a club record for points in a playoff game in ripping the NBA regular-season win leaders and NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who managed only 14 points.
“We got punched in the mouth,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “You get punched, it’s about getting back up. It’s about responding. That’s what the next challenge is.”The Thunder, who won the first two games at home, face game four on Monday at Minneapolis and game five on Wednesday at Oklahoma City.
“I know everyone is happy about this one but we know OKC is going to come out and bring hella-energy and they are going to be ready to go and going to try to win game four and we’ve got to try and exceed their energy and get a win,” Edwards said.
“We’ll be ready.”Minnesota’s victory was crucial because no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. “We just didn’t bring it from an energy and focus standpoint,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We just didn’t have it. They had the sense of urgency knowing if they go down 3-0 it’s going to be pretty tough. “They blitzed us pretty early and we were never able to get back. We’ve got to start coming out with a sense of urgency.”
The T-Wolves set a club record for points in a playoff game and led by as much as 129-84 late in the fourth quarter. “We do have to look at it and address the things that went awry for us,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “They really took it to us. “They were just much more physical, much sharper, executed better, more forceful on offense.
For the score to be what it was, they needed to outplay us in a lot of areas and that’s what they did.” Randle was benched late in game two and unhappy about it but responded by taking out his frustrations on the Thunder. “He knows not to take nothing too personal,” Edwards said of Randle. “I could see it in his eyes. He wanted his respect back and he got it.”
