Wolves pummel Thunder in emphatic Game 3 response

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards was determined to keep Minnesota’s spirits up, from the flight home after a frustrating trip to Oklahoma City into a crucial game in these Western Conference finals.

Positive energy is never hard for him to find.

Edwards had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in just three quarters for the Timberwolves in a 143-101 victory on Saturday night in Game 3 that cut the Thunder’s lead in the series to 2-1.

“Just ultimate pressure on the ball,” Edwards said, “and shoot it as much as I can.”

Julius Randle added 24 points and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. had 15 points in 13 minutes to highlight a big boost from the bench for the Wolves, who caused all kinds of cracks in the Thunder’s NBA -best defense after struggling to solve it in the two lopsided losses on the road.

“Their force on that end of the floor was better than our physicality and pressure, things that we typically do well,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting with four turnovers, subbed out with a 38-point deficit and 4:25 to go in the third quarter as Daigneault conceded on a night when his team was never closer than 22 points after early in the second quarter.

“It felt like we just eased into the game, and they didn’t,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They blitzed us pretty early, and then we were never able to get back because of it.”

Game 4 is in Minneapolis on Monday night.

The travel north and venue shift triggered a sharp drop in shooting for the Thunder, who made exactly half of their attempts from the floor over the first two games and went just 12 for 40 in the first half on Saturday.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the newly minted NBA MVP, went more than 13 minutes of game time between baskets while the Target Center crowd loudly booed him on every touch and taunted him at the line with the chant, “Free throw merchant!” in a nod to the popular notion he draws an inordinate amount of fouls.

Randle, who had his first off night of this postseason in a Game 2 performance so disjointed he was benched for the fourth quarter, had his fire back — and his signature fadeaway.

Edwards rediscovered his 3-point shot, going 5 for 8 after shooting just 1 of 9 in Game 2. He gave the quick-handed, ball-pressuring Thunder a taste of what it’s like to play against themselves with a couple of relentless pursuits of loose balls he turned into breakaway dunks.

Outscored 69-37 in the third quarter over the first two games, the Wolves made sure to avoid another post-halftime malaise. Edwards, tightly guarded by Isaiah Joe in the corner, found enough space to drive along the baseline and spin an up-and-under reverse layup off the glass for a 79-52 lead.

“That’s what we need him to do, and when he does it, it takes us to another level,” coach Chris Finch said.

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