The Oklahoma City Thunder lost in rare blowout fashion against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 135-105.
The Thunder, who have been a top-half team in the league in terms of defensive rating this season, did a poor job in the first half containing the Timberwolves and specifically Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves, who scored just 98 points in the first meeting between these two teams on Wednesday, managed to get 73 points in the first half.
The second half did not see much of a change as the Timberwolves reached 100 points before the third quarter ended. The Thunder were able to keep up somewhat in the first half with 57 points, but the well eventually dried up as the team does not have the offensive firepower to match up in a high-scoring affair. This was seen in the third quarter where the Timberwolves were able to blow this game open as the Thunder struggled to score just 23 points.
Even with the lopsided loss, there were still a few bright spots for the Thunder that include encouraging performances from young players that are both established starters and unproven but exciting talent. Let’s take a look at player grades: