Time for OKC Thunder to reside as much as zero-zero mantra after Sport 3 no-show vs Timberwolves – The Oklahoman

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards sliced via Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein to beat a back-pedaling Jalen Williams to the unfastened ball. Edwards scooped it up as Williams skidded into the Thunder’s bench. Williams was nonetheless on his bottom as Edwards soared for a slam. 
And that’s how Saturday went. The usually on-a-string, fight-through-screens, pesky, handsy, relentlessly-annoying, all-hustle, never-die Thunder bought beat at its personal sport. 
Smacked by the Timberwolves 143-101 in a must-win for Minnesota. 
“They only got here out with a way of urgency and we didn’t,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. 
The apparent follow-up — and perhaps an unanswerable one — is, “Why?” 
“I’m unsure,” SGA mentioned. “The identical factor form of occurred within the Memphis sequence, we got here out in Memphis and so they blitzed us.” 
The Thunder trailed the Grizzlies by 29 factors in Sport 3 of that first-round sequence. Then Ja Morant bought harm and the Thunder stormed again and gained. 
“I assume each conditions we had been up 2-0 going into Sport 3 … We don’t attempt to exit like that, I promise you, however no matter is, we gotta determine it out if we wish to attain our final purpose,” SGA mentioned. “That’s what the times in between are for, to get higher.” 
There have been early indicators — Gilgeous-Alexander getting referred to as for an eight-second violation (even when it was a fast depend) with no Timberwolf pressuring him within the backcourt — that Saturday evening was going to be a uncommon Thunder no-show. 
OKC trailed by as many as 45 factors. The largest deficit it confronted this season earlier than Saturday — common season or playoffs — was 30. The Thunder misplaced by 42 factors. Its worst loss earlier than Saturday was 27 factors. 
“They went and bought the sport tonight,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault mentioned of the Wolves. “They had been means higher than us in each side. You possibly can’t isolate it to 1 factor.” 
Edwards, who scored a game-high 30 factors, outscored the Thunder 16-14 within the first quarter. Minnesota’s lead ballooned to twenty factors after 12 minutes. The Wolves scored 34 factors within the first quarter, and that was their lowest scoring quarter of the sport. 
“We had been taking the ball out of the web for almost all of the sport, so that they bought again and set their protection,” SGA mentioned. “I don’t care who you might be within the NBA, in opposition to an excellent protection it’s exhausting to attain once they’re set.” 
The Wolves shot 57% from the ground. They had been 20-of-40 from 3-point vary. 
The Thunder shot 41% and had been 14-of-44 (32%) from deep — a continuation of their chilly streak on the highway. 
Daigneault pulled the plug for good with two minutes left within the third quarter. The fourth quarter devolved into the Dillon Jones vs. Luka Garza Bowl. 
The one solace after 143 to 101 is 2 to 1. 
The Thunder nonetheless leads these Western Convention finals wherein not one of the three video games have been shut. A 15-point win in Sport 2 is the closest anybody has come to biting their nails. 
As cliche because the Thunder’s zero-zero mantra has develop into, it’s as relevant as ever now. 
“It’s been who we’re,” Daigneault mentioned. “We all know the ebbs and flows of a playoff sequence. We’ve been on the opposite finish of video games like this and so they haven’t been predictive of the subsequent sport. 
“We do have to take a look at it and deal with the issues that went awry for us tonight, however on the similar time it’ll be a brand new sport, it’ll be zero and 0 when Sport 4 begins.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports activities columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a narrative thought for Joe? E mail him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Help Joe’s work and that of different Oklahoman journalists by buying a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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