NBA
Thunder Fall Short late to Timberwolves 119-117 at home
After being down nine points in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook kicked it into high gear. He scored nine points to take the lead back, but the Minnesota Timberwolves secured the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-117.
With a chance to win the game, Thunder coach Billy Donovan decided to go with Westbrook on the last shot. He had multiple chances at it. However, he bricked two 3pointers and they fell just short. Minnesota Timberwolves interim coach Ryan Saunders got his first win and the Timberwolves celebrated. The Thunder have now lost two games in row.
Back and Forth Game Between The Thunder and Timberwolves
There was some tension in the building between these two teams. The Timberwolves desperately wanted to win their first game with Saunders as the guy in charge, The Thunder wanted to bounce back after dropping a game to the Washington Wizards.
It was a full-out battle of back-and-forth and made for some entertaining match-ups. Westbrook struggled terribly in the first half; missed layups, turnovers, and lack of concentration. It happened to be Paul George and Terrance Ferguson who would keep the team in the game in the first half tied at 64.
However, Westbrook turned on the jets, especially in the fourth quarter. He ended the night with 25 points on 11-22 shooting and 16 assists. George ended with 27 points on 9-24 shooting and hit five three-pointers. Steven Adams was huge, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Even Terrance Ferguson had a very good game. Ferguson had 14 points and went 4-4 from 3-point range. However, there was just one problem for the Thunder.
Wiggins on Fire
Andrew Wiggins couldn’t be stopped last night. He ended the night with 40 points on 11-24 shooting and went 16-18 from the free throw line. Wiggins was aggressive all night, and the Thunder didn’t have an answer for him. He did whatever he wanted on the floor.
He also added 10 rebounds and four assists Wednesday night for the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns had a pretty solid night as well, ending with 20 points and nine rebounds. The bench was considerably better for Minnesota last night as Dario Saric, Anthony Tolliver and Tyus Jones cracked double-digits in scoring as well. It was a well-rounded performance for this team.
Scary Injury
Midway through the third quarter, Wiggins goes up for a basket against Nerlens Noel and the entire crowd went silent. Wiggins accidentally elbows Noel and he takes a hard hit to the floor, causing a concussion. It was one of the most gruesome head injuries you will see. You could also hear his head bounce off the wooden floor.
Noel was just released from the hospital, so he has been placed on concussion protocol. There is also no timetable for his return, but one thing is for sure the Thunder will miss his presence.
Cut the Tension With a Knife
After that Noel injury, things started to get a little testy. For whatever reason, Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder got into a little shoving match. Well, Teague was the only one doing the shoving while Schroder put his hands behind his back and laughed at him. As a result, those two shoves by Teague ended his night early as he was ejected in the third quarter.
The Bounce Back
The Thunder look to bounce back in the winning column when the go to San Antonio to face the Spurs. With the loss, they’re now 25-15.
Photo Credit
Highlight Store via Flickr
Writer Brandan Verrastro
