Oklahoma City Thunder, one step away from the NBA finals
Oklahoma City Thunder He won on Monday a transcendental triumph for 128-126 as a visitor to Minnesota Timberwolves to take 3-1 advantage at the final of the West Conference and place To a single victory of its first NBA finals since 2012.
The Thunder will have its first option to close the series this Wednesday in Oklahoma City and even lose that match and the next in Minnesota, would have a new option in the hypothetical seventh, again at home.
The Thunder has wind in favor, against some Wolves who never traced a 1-3 in a series of playoffs in the four precedents.
The MVP Shai Gilgelous-Alexander He achieved the best performance of his career in the playoffs with 40 points (13 of 30 in field shots), 9 rebounds and 10 assists. He connected 12 of his 14 free throws, including a 5 of 6 in the last seconds that were decisive to defend the advantage.
Jalen Williams It also shone with 34 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 robberies, with 6 triples. Chet Holmgren He contributed 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 caps. The native of Minneapolis was the protagonist in the final section of the duel with a large cap a Jaden McDaniels.
OKC’s defense deactivated Anthony Edwardswhich barely scored 16 points (5 of 13 in field shots and 1 of 7 in triples), already Julius Randlewhich only put 5 (1 of 7 in field shots and 0 of 3 from the arc).
McDaniels contributed 22 points and the substitutes of the Wolves wore 64 points in total against 27 of Thunder, but every time the locals tried to overcome, OKC found answers.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s reaction after defeat in the third game
He proudly reacted the Thunder after the humiliation of last Saturday, when he lost for 42 points of difference, and made him guided by Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who touched perfection in the first period with 13 points each.
Gilgeous-Alexander already took 21 points to the break, Willams added 15 and Holmgren, 10, for OKC, which touched 50% of success in shots. The Thunder took to the changing rooms an advantage of 8 points after an aggressive performance on both sides of the court.
The difficulties of the Wolves summed up with the modest performance of Edwards, who only took two shots (1 of 2) and only took 4 points to the break. Julius Randle, who had also offered a recital in the triumph of the third period, did not have a good time and scored just 5 points.
If the Wolves did not remain far on the scoreboard, it was the merit of their substitutes, which contributed 30 of the 57 points of the team in the first half. Nickeil Alexander-Walker It shone from the arch, with 3 of 3.
Minnesota clung to his options and balanced the clash again with a good beginning of the third quarter, in which he sealed a 10-2 partial to place himself to a point, before matching in 79-79. However, with a blunt gilgeous-exander, OKC better closed the period and a large MVP entrance gave five points ahead to visitors in 85-90.
A fourth high voltage period was opened, with a spectacular shock exchange. The Wolves gave everything, but OKC maintained an amazing scoring rhythm.
The SGA trio (11), Williams (14) and Holmgren (9) scored 34 of the 38 points of the Thunder in the last segment.
The MVP was practically everything, including spectacular assistance after slipping, sending the ball below McDaniels’s legs, which Williams turned into a triple.
OKC sent 116-109 at that time with 3.30 in the stopwatch, but he had to win the triumph from the line of free in a high voltage end, in which Gilgeous-Alexander put 5 of 6 and gave his team a victory that leaves him at one step away from the finals.
