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Based on the basic team stats from Game 4 of the 2025 Western Conference finals matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at Target Center in Minnesota, it seemed as though Anthony Edwards and company came away with the victory.
The Timberwolves had more rebounds, more takes from the free throw line, more accurate from the foul line, better field goal percentage and higher 3-point shooting percentage than Oklahoma City. Additionally, history one-sidedly suggested that Minnesota should have won Game 4, considering those facts.
But the Thunder still found a way to take down Minnesota, 128-126, thus going up 3-1 in the series — and breaking an incredibly long streak in the history of the NBA Playoffs.
“Teams entered today 0-190 all-time in the playoffs when having fewer rebounds, fewer assists, fewer free-throw attempts, a lower FG%, lower 3P% & lower FT% in a game than their opponent. The Thunder just made that 1-190,” shared Greg Harvey of OptaSTATS on X (formerly Twitter).
That also illustrates the Thunder's poise and ability to execute when it matters the most during a game.
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The Thunder benefited from their strong start and good finish in the contest. Oklahoma City outscored the home team by seven points in the opening period and made enough big plays down the stretch in the fourth quarter to weather the Timberwolves' comeback attempts. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren provided ample support behind the league MVP, producing 34 and 21 points, respectively.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he's the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner, dropping 40 points on 13-for-30 shooting from the field and dishing out 10 assists in 40 minutes of action.
Although the Thunder were beaten in several areas in the game by Minnesota, they made up for those by simply getting more looks at the basket, outshooting the Timberwolves, 95-84. The Thunder gained extra possession with their defense, as they recorded 14 steals and forced the Timberwolves to commit a total of 23 turnovers.
Oklahoma City can end the series in Game 5 and earn a berth in the 2025 NBA Finals on Wednesday, when the Thunder return home and take their turn again to host the Timberwolves at Paycom Center.
