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Nightly Pulse: Timberwolves vs. Thunder, Game 3

Catch the Western Conference Finals Game 3 action between the Thunder and T'Wolves with live score updates and highlights.

NBA.com Staff

πŸ€πŸ€ Saturday’s Playoff Schedule πŸ€πŸ€

Minnesota Timberwolves 143, Oklahoma City Thunder 101 (Final)

OKC leads the series, 2-1.

Game 4 is in Minnesota on Thursday.

Top Storylines of the Night πŸ‘‰πŸ“

Minnesota grabs a blowout win against OKC.

The 143 points were a franchise playoff record for Minnesota.

The Timberwolves held a double-digit lead for most of this game, leading by at least 20 points for the entirety of the second half and by 30 points for the whole of the fourth quarter.

They shot 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range while holding OKC to 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range.

Minnesota will look to even the series on Tuesday when they play host to OKC in Game 4.

🌟🌟 Top Performers of the Night 🌟

Anthony Edwards accrued 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals on 12-of-17 shooting.

Julius Randle accrued 24 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 14 points, two rebounds and six assists.

Terrance Shannon led Minnesota’s bench with 15 points and two rebounds.

Timberwolves Defeat Thunder in Game 3, 143-101 🐺 🌲 🐺 🌲 🐺

Those 143 points were a franchise playoff record for the Timberwolves.

After losing the first two games of this series, Minnesota was in a must-win circumstance, and they took care of business in dominating fashion.

They held a double-digit lead for the final three frames, leading by over 40 points at times.

The T’Wolves shot 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range while holding the Thunder to 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range.

They also out-rebounded OKC, 50-31, while out-assisting them, 30-19.

Game 4 will be in Minnesota on Tuesday.

Terrence Shannon Showin’ Out 🍳🍳

Shannon already set a playoff team rookie record in the first half when he scored nine points, but he keeps adding to it.

The rookie is up to 15 points across 10 minutes. He has more than every OKC player in this game.

He had six combined points through the postseason up to this point.

The Illinois product is cooking!

T’Wolves Lead Thunder After 3Q, 107-70 🐺🐺🐺

OKC dominated the third quarter in the first two games of this series but Minnesota wouldn’t allow that tonight.

They somehow extended their 31-point halftime lead and have completely blown this game open.

Many starters are out of the game and are unlikely to come back.

The T’Wolves are 16-of-31 from three-point range.

Anthony Edwards had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 12-of-17 shooting.

ANT Sexy Finish 🐜🐜

Anthony Edwards has 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting and showcased his elite athleticism with this absurd finish.

Minnesota is up by nearly 40 points.

They need this win to cut OKC’s series lead to 2-1.

Minnesota Leads OKC at the Half, 72-41 🐺 πŸ’£ ⚑

It’s been an onslaught by the T’Wolves in this must-win Game 3.

They never led by double-digits in this series before this lopsided first half, and the 35-point deficit is OKC’s largest deficit of the season.

The 72 points scored are the most ever in a half by Minnesota in their franchise playoff history.

The T’Wolves are shooting 56 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range while holding the Thunder to 30 percent from the field and 26 percent from long range.

They’re also dominating the turnover battle, 9-4.

Anthony Edwards has 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 8-of-11 shooting.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, Live)

T’Wolves Feasting… πŸΊπŸ”πŸ—πŸŸπŸΊΒ  Lead 51-23

Minnesota needed this game to avoid a 3-0 hole and they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

They lead 51-23 midway through the second quarter.

They’re shooting 59 percent from the field while holding OKC to 25 percent shooting.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, Live)

Minnesota Leads OKC After Q1, 34-14Β  𓃦  𓃦  𓃦

The T’Wolves held the Thunder scoreless for nearly five minutes, ripping off a 25-5 run.

The Timberwolves grabbed their largest lead of the series in that opening frame.

They forced five turnovers from OKC, while out-rebounding them, 14-8.

Minnesota shot 57 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range while holding Oklahoma City to 29 percent from the field and 18 percent from long range.

Anthony Edwards has 16 points.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, Live)

T’Wolves = Hungry πŸ˜‹πŸΊπŸ½οΈ

After OKC scored the first four points, Minnesota responded with a 18-5 run.

This Anthony Edwards slam shows how impactful their defense has been so far.

ANT has an early 12 points and two rebounds.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, Live)

Game 3 is Underway 🎬 πŸŽ₯ πŸ”΄ β–Ά

To say this is a must-win game for the T’Wolves is an understatement.

Minnesota is staring down an 0-2 deficit and a defeat would send them in a 3-0 hole.

No team in NBA history has overcome a 3-0 deficit, and it’s even more unlikely against a team that has over 70 wins this season.

Should be a fun showdown on ABC!

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, Live)

Thunder Starting Five ⚑⚑ ⚑ ⚑ ⚑

This has been the best starting unit throughout the regular season, and we’ll see it once again here.

Everyone knows how special Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been, but Jalen Williams has been special, too.

Williams is averaging 22.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals in this series, while committing zero turnovers on 50 percent shooting.

They’ve also outscored Minnesota by 14 points in both third quarters of this series.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, 8:30 ET)

T’Wolves Starting Unit 🐺 🐺 🐺 🐺 🐺

Minnesota looked like one of the most dominant teams through the opening two rounds but this series has been a different story.

After taking care of the first two series with 4-1 wins, Minnesota was blown out in the first two games of this series.

They’ll send out their usual starting lineup here.

Julius Randle is averaging 22.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists in this postseason run but was benched in the fourth quarter of the Game 2 defeat.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, 8:30 ET)

Indiana Looks Incredible 🌽🀠

The Pacers have quietly been the best team in the NBA since last season.

They reached the In-Season Tournament Championship last season and are in their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.

They appear to be taking the next step in that progression, taking a 2-0 series lead back home.

The first two games in NY were tight, but Indy took down both of those road games.

Game 3 is in Indiana on Sunday.

SGA and ANT in the BuildingΒ  πŸ† πŸ† 🐜 🐜

These two young stars have been showing out in these playoffs, and both guys look ready for this critical Game 3.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 34.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.0 steals in this series.

Anthony Edwards is averaging 26.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 12 postseason games.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPNN, 8:30 ET)

Top Storylines πŸ‘‰πŸ“

-Minnesota looks to get back into this series.
-Oklahoma City took care of business at home, winning the first two games of this series by double-digit margins.
-OKC recorded 30 assists to six turnovers while Minnesota had 20 assists to 14 turnovers.
-The Thunder have also outscored the Timberwolves by 28 points in the two third quarters in this series, leading to blowout victories in both games.

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