POSTGAME NOTES
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 112, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOVLES 103
March 22, 2021
TIMBERWOLVES NOTES
Player Notes
• Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for the Timberwolves tonight, collecting his fourth 30+ point/10+ rebound game of the season (60th career) with a game-high 33 points and team-high 10 rebounds.
• Towns connected on a season-high tying five three-pointers (3x; MR: Mar. 18 at Phoenix), the third time this season (11th career) making 5+ threes in a game.
• With his first three of the night to open the scoring for Minnesota in the first quarter, Towns extended his franchise record streak of games with at least one three pointer made to 58 games.
• Ricky Rubio registered his second straight double-double (fourth of the season with 11 points and a game-high 11 assists. Rubio grabbed five rebounds on the night, notching his second 10+ point/10+ assist/5+ rebound game of the season (66th career) and extending his franchise record of such games to 45.
• In 28:07 of action off the bench Jaylen Nowell tallied 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-5 from deep, his 18th double-figure scoring effort of the season. Since the All-Star Break (seven games), Nowell has connected on 18 three-pointers.
Team Notes
• Josh Okogie led the Timberwolves with a game-high four steals tonight as the team totaled 11 steals, the 19th time this season swiping 10+ steals in a game. Only Memphis (24) has more such games.
• Minnesota outscored Oklahoma City in the paint tonight 44-32, the 36th time this season scoring 40+ points in the paint. Coming into tonight Minnesota was ranked eighth in the league for points in the paint (49.4).
• Led by Rubio’s 11 assists, the Timberwolves dished out 24 assists. They have now tallied 20+ assists in 41 contests this season.
• Minnesota finished the night with 14 three-pointers, marking the 35th time this season making 10+ threes in a game.
Thunder Notes
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 31 points, his 10th 30+ point performance of the season.
POSTGAME QUOTES
TIMBERWOLVES HEAD COACH CHRIS FINCH
On finding trying to find a spark in the offense tonight…
“We tried to play the big line up, we tried to play a defensive lineup. We tried to get different coverages in there. I thought the best thing we did tonight was when we stopped switching everything and just got a little but more aggressive, but by that time they got loose a little from the three-point line and I thought our offense hurt us again, a lot. We were guarding well, when we’d get stops and we would come down and take quick shots and they weren’t falling for us and we were reluctant to move it, the ball got sticky.”
On not playing Anthony Edwards down the stretch…
“The team that was on the floor was making a little bit of a run. It started with our defensive effort, so at that point in time, was just going to ride it out.”
TIMBERWOLVES GUARD ANTHONY EDWARDS
On finding the balance in their offense…
“The more and more that we get used to playing with Coach, we will figure it out, the more and more practices we have. As of right now, sometimes we are playing good, we are playing at the right pace and sometimes we aren’t. It comes with just getting comfortable and getting used to the system.”
On how he felt about tonight’s performance…
“I was surprised. Surprised at my performance and surprised at the team performance for sure.”
On what surprised him about his performance…
“I just wasn’t, I didn’t have that same pep in my step, I felt like. Like I said, it is no excuses, I have to come in next game and have that pep in my step, which I intend to.”