Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 points as Thunder fend off T-Wolves 128-126 to grab 3-1 series lead

By Canadian Press on May 26, 2025.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a steely performance befitting the NBA MVP, and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped back from a 42-point loss on Saturday by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 in Game 4 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

Jalen Williams scored 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and Chet Holmgren added 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a statement game in his hometown that helped the Thunder stave off several pushes by the Wolves to tie the series.

Gilgeous-Alexander went 12-for-14 from the free-throw line, making a pair with 6.1 seconds left to stretch the lead back to three. The Thunder fouled Anthony Edwards with 3.5 seconds to go, and his intentional miss of the second one to try to keep possession was tracked down in the corner by Gilgeous-Alexander and flung out of bounds in attempt to drain the clock.

The Wolves had one more in-bounds pass with 0.3 seconds remaining that Williams grabbed to send the Thunder back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday with the chance to advance to the NBA Finals.

Edwards was limited to 16 points, and Julius Randle (five points on 1-for-7 shooting) was also bottled up by the Thunder’s relentless defence led by Luguentz Dort of Montreal. Dort had four points and four rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23 points) of Toronto and Donte DiVincenzo (21 points) each went 5-for-8 from 3-point range to lead a second straight onslaught of bench offence to keep the Wolves close all night, but the Thunder always had an answer for the mini-runs they managed. They trailed for only 36 seconds, all stretches in the first quarter.

Any intrigue about how the Thunder would respond to the 143-101 drubbing in Game 3 quickly disappeared when Williams started hitting from deep to lead an 11-for-17 shooting start from the floor.

After shooting just 28 per cent from 3-point range over their first six road games in these NBA playoffs, the Thunder went 16 for 37 — straining the Wolves defensively with all the difficulty Gilgeous-Alexander was presenting again following a quiet game on Saturday.

The Thunder, for all their dominance, have shown a hint of vulnerability away from Paycom Center, where they’re 7-1 with a plus-191 scoring differential this post-season.

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Dave Campbell, The Associated Press