Minneapolis-Anthony Edwards collected 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in just three-quarters to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves invigued in a 143-101 victory on Oklahoma City on Saturday evening in match 3 of the Western Conference final which reduced the Thunder’s advance in the 2-1 series.
Julius Randle added 24 points and the recruit Terrence Shannon Jr. collected 15 points in 13 minutes to highlight a big boost from the bench for the Wolves, which caused all kinds of cracks in the best defense of the Thunder NBA after having had trouble solving it in the two unbalanced losses on the road.
Shai Gilgeous-Aalexander only collected 14 points on a 4 shot for 13 with four reversals and suffered with a deficit of 38 points and 4:25 to go to the third quarter while the Thunder coach Mark Daignault, conceded a night when his team was never closer to 22 points after the start of the second quarter.
The possible 42-point victory by Minnesota is the largest of any team that had followed 2-0 in a series in the history of the NBA.
Match 4 is in Minneapolis on Monday evening.
The trip of the North and the place sparked a sharp drop in the Thunder, which made exactly half of their attempts from the ground during the first two games and experienced 12 for 40 in first half on Saturday.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the newly created MVP NBA, took more than 13 minutes of playing time between the baskets while the crowd of the target center hunted it with each touch and mocked it on the line with the song, “Farm Throw Merchant!” In a nod to the popular notion, it draws an excessive amount of faults.
The Thunder fully expected a strong response from the Wolves after opening the series with two unbalanced victories. It was a coupon of pleasure to the bone of the opening tip which made the crowd roar throughout the arrival, without any of the collapse of the half-trimester which condemned them to Oklahoma City.
Randle, who had his first night leave of this series of playoffs in a performance of match 2, so disjointed that he was bench for the fourth quarter, put his fire – and his Fadeaway Signature. He was also much more stable in defense; The Thunder pulled 4-in-12 when Randle was the main defender of match 3 after spending 12 for 18 against Randle in matches 1 and 2.
Edwards rediscovered his 3-point shot, going 5 for 8 after having pulled only 1 of 9 in match 2. He gave the Thunder with fast hand and pressing balls of what it is to play against themselves with a couple of uncommon loot balls.
Dominated 69-37 in the third quarter in the first two games, the Wolves did not even let the door open a crack so that the Thunder begins a return in the second half. Edwards, closely kept by Isaiah Joe in the area, found enough space to roll along the baseline and run an inverted lay-up top and bottom for an advance of 79-52.
The Thunder will have to lower history to achieve its ultimate goal this season – no team in the history of the NBA has undergone a defeat of 40 points in the playoffs and won the championship.
The Associated Press and ESPN research contributed to this story.
