Subscribe
Follow Us
The Minnesota Timberwolves flipped the script on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, dominating Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals 143-101 to get back in the series.
The Thunder seemed to be on cruise control during the first two games, blowing the Wolves out in both third quarters to collect a pair of very comfortable wins to preserve home court. However, after Minnesota's stunning blowout on Saturday, it will have a chance to get back on level terms with another victory in the Twin Cities on Monday.
After the game, Anthony Edwards credited rookie wing Terrence Shannon Jr. for being the difference in Game 3 after playing sparingly in the first two games.
“TJ (Shannon) came in and brought ultimate energy,” Edwards said in his on-court interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters. “We can't ask for nothing more. He came in and made all the right plays, attacking the basket with aggression. He came up big for us tonight.”
Shannon only played 13 minutes in Game 3, but he had a massive impact. The Illinois product scored 15 points on just 5-for-8 shooting whole knocking down a 3-pointer. He got to the free-throw line four times, making all of them in the rout.
Edwards wasn't too shabby himself. He set the tone with 12 early points to give the Timberwolves a double-digit lead very early in the game. In just 30 minutes, the Minnesota superstar scored 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and 5-for-8 from deep. With this showing, he continued the strong momentum that he had built during Game 2 after a bad Game 1.
The Timberwolves will need more of the same from Edwards and maybe Shannon too if they are going to come back and knock off the best team in the NBA. The Thunder showed why they are the team to beat during the first two games, and Minnesota did a great job to counter that in Game 3.
Now, the challenge age becomes replicating that performance and continuing to play that way game after game going forward with little margin for error.
